A Dangerous Predicament
by Fangirloutlet
Summary: Tamsin, having "betrayed" her orders to the mysterious "Him," is met with multiple dangerous foes, finding solace and help in Bo. Includes interactions with the rest of the gang. Rated T now.
1. Eventually You will die

**So... after obsessing over Valkubus for far too long, now... I've decided I needed an outlet for all the extreme fangirling that has yet to cease inside of me. Here it is. A valkubus fanfiction. This is happening. ****  
**

**Do note that this is just kind of filler stuff, Bo knows about Tamsin's whole "I'm emotionally unstable because I had to betray you" thing, and is filled in on all the little details. Tamsin's still an emotional mess, though, because she knows 'peeps' are going to be after her. **

**Enjoy. Tell me what you think, if you have any constructive criticism, or if you think something in specific should happen. I dono... just... yeah. Okay, enjoy. BTW: This is to be multiple chapters. So... I'll try and update soon.  
**

Tamsin had been drinking all day… in fact, it had practically become her daily routine. Every morning she would wake, sloppily sprawled out atop the rough back seat of her truck, her body cursing the very notion of the beat up vehicle existing as a home, let alone a means of transportation. And every day she would stumble into some crappy low-key bar, downing countless shots until she was certain the sun was down. She liked the night time; its existence promoted a lot less… happiness.

So, as it were, the sun had set a many hours before Tamsin stepped out into the cool midnight air. She paused to compose herself then started down the shadowy alleyway. It was a slow walk, though unusually steady for someone who had as many drinks as the blonde Valkyrie did that night. But the slow and steady gracefulness came to a halt as a chilling, yet familiar voice filled the air. "Well, look who it is."

Tamsin let out a shaky breath, her body suddenly frozen in place. She quickly ran over every exit strategy she could think of, silently despairing over the obscene length of the alleyway, of which she was nowhere near the end.

"The traitor," said the voice, now accompanied by the loud sound of heels pressing against the cement ground. The sound drew closer and Tamsin could feel her body tense. "In all of her glory."

Tamsin took a deep breath as she turned to face her opponent. "Helena… long time," she breathed.

The woman smiled a fake smile, one not much different than the smile that Tamsin was currently wearing. She had dark red hair, wavy, that rested gently on her small shoulders, and her skin was a ghostly white that had always filled Tamsin with a sick feeling of dread and fear, though she would never admit it. "So, we're starting with the small talk, are we?" Helena asked, stepping closer to Tamsin so that only a few feet of vicious tension separated the two of them.

Tamsin tilted her head. "I guess so." The presence of this dark woman seemed to sober the valkyrie up a bit, kicking her into 'warrior mode', as so many people seemed to call it. Though, to her, it was more of a natural mode of defense.

"Well, I don't see it getting very far. You know what I've been up to… no big changes, here. Though, I did dye my hair a couple of hundred times."

"I've noticed. Very nice," Tamsin said, taking a careful step back.

The woman frowned. "But you… oh, Tamsin. You've been up to some serious shit, haven't you?"

"I have no idea what you're referring to," Tamsin smiled, entirely aware that the façade was fooling no one.

Helena took two steps forward, putting herself dangerously close to the blonde. "Oh, I think you do. In fact, I think you're both aware of what you've done, and why I'm here."

"So? What if I am?"

"Then you know what's coming next."

"You don't honestly think you can beat me, do you?"

"You're weaker than you were then, Tamsin. You and I both know it…" she stepped closer, running a cold hand down Tamsin's arm. "But, even if I can't. More will come. More will try. And eventually… eventually, you will die."

Tamsin pulled her arm away from Helena, dropping a thin knife from her sleeve into her hand.

"You betrayed him, Valkyrie. And for that, you will pay dearly." Helena threw herself at Tamsin, long claws appearing from the tips of each finger as she reached out to grab the blonde by the shoulders. Tamsin jumped back, slashing her knife openly into the air before her.

"Helena, you won't make it out of here alive if you push on… but stop now and-" She was cut off as one of Helena's sharp claws lashed out and sliced through the skin on her cheek. She let out a yell, a familiar rage beginning to take hold of her. "You know what? No second chances. Bitch, tonight will be your end!"

Helena didn't let Tamsin make a move, though. She took the opportunity to slam her fist into the side of Tamsin's head, throwing the valkyrie off-balance and forcing her onto the ground. At that, she shoved her claws deep into Tamsin's gut, laughing as the blonde let out a painful scream. But before she could even withdraw her claws, a foot had slammed into her shin, causing her to stumble back against a brick wall.

"Ugh… fucking ginger bitch…" Tamsin coughed as she slowly rose to her feet. Adrenaline rushing through her, she thrust all of her weight into a swift jab of the knife, tearing through Helena's shoulder. But it didn't really seem to faze the red head, rather, it appeared to have pissed her off. Tamsin didn't have a chance to register this previous to having her own head slammed into the wall where Helena was, a second before. As she was regaining her composure, Helena lifted a thick piece of plywood from the ground beside her, crashing it roughly into Tamsin's side and throwing her to the ground.

"I thought you'd be tougher than this," Helena laughed between heavy breaths, "honestly… you're kind of a let down." She stalked over to where Tamsin lay struggling to catch her breath, and smiled as her foot, almost without thought, glided into Tamsin's side, colliding with bone. She went on to kick again... once, twice, and as her leg went in for the third attack, it was stopped suddenly, having been caught in a tight grip by Tamsin's left hand.

"I told you before…" Tamsin coughed, pulling Helena's other leg out, subsequently causing her to fall. "Tonight..." Tamsin clumsily climbed to her feet and stumbled up to Helena, who was now looking up at the battered valkyrie with fear in her watery grey eyes, "Tonight will be your end." Tamsin smiled a cold smile, pressing her foot to the side of Helena's head.

"No-Tamsin… I-I'm sor-!" She heard a loud crack, and the woman, who had been squirming and struggling beneath her heel, came to a sudden still state. She was dead.

After a few minutes of deep thought, a couple of failed attempts to support herself without the aid of a wall, and an agonizingly slow walk to her truck, Tamsin could only think of one place to go. So, she turned the key in her truck and painfully pressed her foot down onto the gas pedal.

She hadn't actually been that far away, so she arrived at her destination in a few minutes. She opened the door and practically fell out of her truck, resting there for a moment and then pulling herself to her feet by the rusty vehicle's hood. "Shit... fucking whore…" Tamsin choked, staggering to the front door.

She weakly pounded her fist onto its wooden surface. "C'mon…" she breathed. She tried again.

"Who the hell comes slamming on someone's door at one o'clock in the morning!?" She heard a familiar voice call irritably after a few long moments. She was almost sorry to have woken them… but ignored the apologetic emotion as she pressed her fist against the door, one last time. At this, the door flew open.

"What the-"

"B-Bo…" Tamsin fell forward, her body no longer harbouring the strength necessary to keep her upright.

"Tamsin!" Bo quickly lowered herself to the ground, catching Tamsin's body before it was roughly introduced to her own dirt covered floor. Tamsin was on her knees, her head weakly resting on Bo's shoulder with her own shoulders held in place by the succubus' tight grip. Her limp arms dangled loosely at her side, her knuckles grazing the wooden floor boards. "Shit..." Bo breathed, pushing the valkyrie up a bit so that she could assess the damage. "What the hell caught up with you?"


	2. A pretty damn good day

**Thanks to 'Ergh (guest)' for pointing out the disgustingly blatant typo in my title. Fixed it. Now I'm just going to go stand in the corner for a while as I deal with some self-loathing. It was actually kind of late for me when I uploaded this last night. During the day, I'm somewhat of a grammar Nazi. Not that I don't make mistakes, I've found a few as I read through chapter one this morning, but I tend to frown upon them more than I probably should. So, if you see any spelling or grammatical errors, it's cool if you tell me. I'll just mentally kick myself a few times. :P That said, I try very hard to make sure my grammar, spelling and content is all… up to par, along with the plot. **

**Also, thanks to 'the unaligned' for the tips and discussion. Keep them coming. :)**

**Anywho, chapter two amigos. This took longer than I thought it would. Fear not, drunken banter to come. But… enjoy!**

****EDIT: Added a bit more with Bo and Tamsin before Kenzi arrives. Thanks to 'Snagam80' for the suggestion.**  
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* * *

_Tamsin was on her knees, her head weakly resting on Bo's shoulder with her own shoulders held in place by the succubus' tight grip. Her limp arms dangled loosely at her side, her knuckles grazing the wooden floor boards. "Shit..." Bo breathed, pushing the valkyrie up a bit so that she could assess the damage. "What the hell caught up with you?"_

A weak smile appeared on Tamsin's weary face. "An old friend."

Bo rolled her eyes and pulled the valkyrie's arm over her shoulder, "C'mon, Blondie." Sliding her arm around the blonde's thin waist, Bo slowly rose to her feet, pulling Tamsin up with her. She wasn't at all surprised to notice how little Tamsin could actually support herself; Bo essentially had to drag her to the couch. She shoved an old pizza box from its surface onto the ground before gently lowering Tamsin down, placing a throw pillow beneath her head. "You know, it's so great that you feel comfortable enough to bleed all over my couch in extreme emergencies. It really shows how much you've warmed up to me," Bo said, taking a seat on the coffee table in front of the couch.

Tamsin coughed. "Oh, look… a sense of humour," She said, closing her eyes against the pulsing waves of pain that seemed to continuously course through her tired body.

Bo glanced Tamsin over, taking in the swollen gash on her forehead, the shoeprints on her white button up shirt… the deep puncture wounds on her stomach. "This old friend… she didn't, say, have claws, by any chance?"

"What gave you that idea, Succubitch?"

"Oh, I don't know, the five holes in your stomach, maybe?" Bo teased, leaning forward and gently unbuttoning Tamsin's shirt. She pulled the red stained white cloth aside, immediately noticing the grave purple and brown bruises that lined her left ribcage, though she couldn't truly see how bad they were beneath the thick layers of blood caked upon Tamsin's fair white skin. "Shit…" Bo breathed.

Tamsin opened her eyes, failing in a weak attempt to prop herself up onto her elbows and see what had the succubus cursing. Bo pressed her hand down on Tamsin's shoulder, giving her a stern look of disapproval. "…What?" Tamsin asked, letting out an unsteady breath despite the effort spent to even it out.

"You know what. Stay down." Bo lifted her hand from Tamsin's shoulder, bringing it up to the wound on Tamsin's forehead. Blood was trickling down from the gash, trailing a thin red line down Tamsin's increasingly pale face. "You sure did take a beating," Bo sighed, jumping up from her seat, "I'll be right back."

Tamsin looked up at Bo. "W-where are you going?"

Bo smiled. Tamsin looked so frail… so helpless. It was a side that Bo had only seen once before, but this time it was to a much greater extent. She needed Bo, and Bo didn't really seem to mind. Actually, it was an oddly comforting thought… Tamsin needed Bo's help. She rested a gentle hand atop of the valkyrie's, suddenly noticing how cold she was. "Relax. I'm just going to get some first-aid stuff… and a blanket. God, you're freezing."

"It's cold outside…"

"You couldn't turn the heat on in your tru-you did drive your truck here, right?"

"Yes, I drove here, and no, in the midst of my extreme pain…" Tamsin swallowed as another wave of agony hit her, "I didn't bother to…" The rest of her sentence was lost in a groan as she closed her eyes again, hoping it would help her move past the pain. Much to her upset, it didn't.

Bo squeezed Tamsin's hand, slightly. "Well… a blanket, then. Maybe something warm to drink?"

Tamsin nodded feebly and Bo started to make her way around the couch, only to be stopped by a weak tug on her sleeve. She looked back, first eyeing the blood stained hand gripping the arm of her shirt, and then its owner. She raised a brow, giving Tamsin a questioning look.

"Uh…" Tamsin muttered, "Thanks, Bo."

Bo smiled, gently reaching down to relieve her shirt from Tamsin's grip, then continued on into to the kitchen. She went through the steps of making some hot cocoa, placing the mug on the counter top, filling it with water, dumping the chocolate powder into it and stirring. When she was done, she slid the cup into the microwave, tapped a few buttons, and then turned to go upstairs. "One minute," She said to Tamsin as she passed the couch and began climbing the stairs.

Tamsin stared emptily up at the grey, wooden ceiling. She was in a shack. She was in a battered shack, bleeding out onto an old, probably stolen, couch, with only a succubus to look after her. A Bo-like succubus, though. She was in_ Bo's_ shack… with only a _Bo_ to look after her. All in all, she considered this a pretty damn good day… or night… morning. "Damn..." Tamsin breathed, pressing her right palm to her forehead. Despite the powerful sobering effect of having the shit beaten out of her, Tamsin was still terribly drunk. Though she had mastered the skill, over many years of trial and error, to speak fairly clear in a drunken state, she also discovered that she had a tendency to over-share. She was suddenly overcome with a feeling of dread. Not only was she probably going to reveal some secret, both to herself and Bo, but she was going to have a killer headache in the morning, what with the detrimental head injury and the unnecessarily large amount of alcohol she had that night.

"Something wrong?" Bo's concerned voice interrupted.

Tamsin wasn't even sure when Bo had come down the stairs, or when she'd retrieved the cup of cocoa. "Wuh? N-no."

Bo pulled the coffee table closer to the couch, taking a seat on it, dropping the first aid kit and setting the cocoa down beside her. She gently took Tamsin's chin into her hand and turned her head so that they were now looking at each other face to face. "You look tired," She stated, "or… Tamsin, where did you say you were attacked?"

"Did I say?" Tamsin tried to avoid Bo's piercing gaze, feeling somewhat guilty. Bo had been so accepting of her, especially after her emotional confession... but she had been dodging Bo ever since, afraid that her emotional state would upset her, somehow. She was right.

"You're drinking again," Bo stated simply. It wasn't as if she'd stopped entirely, but Bo was sure that Tamsin had moved on from her emotional time-bomb phase. She thought that her accepting the valkyrie as a member of the 'team' was all that was needed to set things right. But the succubus took a deep, calming breath and decided this was a conversation to be had at another time.

She released Tamsin's chin from her grasp, reached down and lifted the first aid kit onto her lap. She opened it up, grabbing a small bottle of antiseptic and a rag she had placed in there during her time upstairs. It only took her a second to open the bottle up and dampen part of the rag with the alcoholic substance. She reached out and gently pressed the rag against the thin puncture marks on Tamsin's stomach. She was rather thankful that this mysterious attacker had elongated thin nails, instead of massive animal-like claws. Hell, if a human were to spend enough time and care, they could manage those nails. This depressingly fortunate discovery saved Bo from having to call Lauren for stitch work, but not from having to spend the time and effort to carefully clean the wound. Tamsin flinched, sucking in a sharp breath, as soon as the cool rag made contact with her skin.

"Sorry," Bo said.

Tamsin nodded, a pained expression on her face, as Bo sat back up.

"...I could try something-to help with the pain," Bo said after a few silent moments had passed.

"Oh?" Tamsin asked.

"Well, I can take chi, this you know... and I can... give it."

"Like... what you do... just in reverse?" Tamsin took a moment to think about this before speaking again. "Wait, so... you knew that you could do this all along, and you just let me bleed and suffer in agonizing pain on your couch!?" Tamsin tried to sit up again, but Bo didn't waste any time shoving her back down.

"Well," Bo said, giving Tamsin a pointed look, "I tried it with you once before, when you were shot... and it didn't work."

"Didn't work?"

"The chi left me, but just kinda..." Bo let her hand flutter in the air before her, "Flew off. Then it went rushing back to the ass-hole I took it from."

Tamsin frowned. "Well... that's-"

"Cause of great stress," Bo interrupted, "I had to drag your unconscious ass back here." Bo pressed the damp cloth back onto Tamsin's stomach, carefully wiping away some of the dried blood around the wound. "Talk about deja vu..." She stopped again, pausing before sitting back up and looking Tamsin in the eye. "If you want, we can try it again."

Tamsin gave Bo a questioning look. "Um... sure?"

Bo smiled slightly and shifted herself from the coffee table to a small spot on the couch beside where Tamsin lay. She rested her hand on the other side of Tamsin, careful to avoid making contact with her purpled ribs. She lowered her head so that only a few inches separated her face from Tamsin's. "Ready?" She asked. She could smell the alcohol on Tamsin's breath, but found it oddly comforting.

Tamsin smiled. "For you, succubitch? Any day," she said calmly.

Bo rolled her eyes at Tamsin's display of drunkenness and slowly leaned in, pressing a warm kiss to the blonde's dry lips. The contact only lasted a second before the two parted, a light wisp of orange and pink filling the space between them. But, much to Bo's dismay, the chi's path suddenly reversed directions, and quickly flowed back into the succubus' mouth. "Shit," Bo coughed, pulling back a little. The effect deeply unsettled her, it being something akin to whiplash.

Tamsin's gaze followed the succubus' blue eyes, which slowly began to fade back into a dark brown as she pushed herself up. "Well then..." Tamsin breathed.

"Yeah... I don't know what's up with you-"

"Me!? You're the one who-"

Just then, the front door flew open and Bo jumped to her feet, a knife in hand. It took Tamsin a moment to realize that Bo had the knife on the coffee table beforehand, but she was still amazed at how fast the succubus could move. This thought aside, she fought against her screaming body and propped herself up onto her elbows, turning her head to see who had entered the house and mentally preparing her body for a battle.

The person stalked through the entrance way with heavy steps, but they seemed to halt as the sound of something heavy hitting the ground filled the room. "Shhhh-it."

"Kenz?" Bo asked, taking a step in front of the couch to clearly make out who the intruder was.

Tamsin groaned aloud in frustration, collapsing back onto the sofa.

"Bobo!" Kenzi exclaimed, clumsily running up to Bo and throwing her arms around her neck.

"Hey!" Bo said, pushing Kenzi back a bit so that they were looking at each other. "I'm glad you're here. You think you could help me with…" She trailed off, "Are you drunk?"

"I… may have been out with-shhhh-" Kenzi leaned forward, her index finger pressed to her lips, indicating a demand for silence, "Trick."

"Oh, really? Wait, Trick? Like… he actually sat down and had a drink with you?"

Kenzi nodded excitedly.

"He never has a drink with me…" Bo mumbled. She heard a small, choking cough from behind her, and was suddenly reminded of the injured valkyrie suffering on her couch. "Right, right. Kenzi, I need your help."

Kenzi's eyes grew wide as Tamsin came into sight. "Wh-what did you do to her!?" Kenzi asked, a look of terror on her face. She walked over to the back of the couch, leaning over to examine the blonde.

Tamsin just shook her head.

"Wha- Why would you think I did that to her!?"

Kenzi straightened up and looked the succubus in the eye. "Things can get a little rough when you're… you know."

"What!? No! No. Just no. We didn't do anything, I swear!"

"Ouch!" Tamsin exclaimed at Bo's statement.

"Seriously, guys?" Bo pointed a stern finger at Tamsin. "Tamsin, shut up and act the way you look!" She turned to Kenzi. "Kenzi dear, get your drunk ass over here and help me."

Kenzi frowned. "Fine, fine. Bossy pants." She made her way over to the other side of the couch, where she stood staring down at Tamsin, who had returned her palm to her forehead as waves of pain stemmed from the gash on her head, and the bloodied lesions on her stomach, coursing throughout the rest of her body.

"Okay, Kenz… you think you can help me get Tamsin up the stairs?"

Kenzi and Tamsin both looked to Bo with shocked expressions. "What? Up the stairs? Why would you want to do that?"

"This couch? Yeah, it may just be the least comfortable surface in the house. I figure she'll be more comfortable on my bed, and that way I'll have more access to her wounds." She paused. "Besides... she's cold and I forgot a blanket."

Tamsin let out an irritated groan. She wasn't in any physical or mental state to fight Bo, so she decided it was best to go with whatever flow the succubus had in mind.

"Is that okay with you, Tamsin?" Bo asked, her voice laced with a concern that was beginning to sound all too familiar to the valkyrie.

"It's fine. Just… whatever."

"Alrighty, then. Everyone's on board. Kenzi, you get her right side, I've got the left."


	3. Everything's going to be A-OK

**Ugh. Exams are coming up. Someone, please take them for me.**

**Anyways, chapter three. Stuff happens. See how you like it, feedback is always wanted. **

**Enjoy! :)**

_"Alrighty, then. Everyone's on board. Kenzi, you get her right side, I've got the left."_

It took Bo and Kenzi a couple of tries to actually get Tamsin up on her feet without making her feel the entire weight of all of her injuries. The physically spent valkyrie cursed their existences more than once as they wrapped her arms around their shoulders and carefully guided, or rather dragged, her up to the stairs.

"You got her, Kenz?" Bo asked before deciding to actually commit to climbing the sloped obstacle before them. Tamsin groaned and let her head drop from both exhaustion and complete dread of what was to come.

Kenzi tightened her grip around Tamsin's waist and nodded.

"Ow..." Tamsin groaned.

"Suck it up, valkyrie."

Kenzi and Bo started up the stairs, Tamsin's minimal amount of self-support very clear to them. Kenzi had a hard time managing her own steps in her current drunken state, and with the added weight of the, albeit light, valkyrie, she was beginning to struggle. She would take each step at a time, only to stumble forward as she raised her foot to move onto the next one.

"Shit, Kenzi..." Bo muttered, trying to shift more of Tamsin's weight to her own shoulders, hoping against hope that Kenzi wouldn't slip and bring the valkyrie down with her.

Kenzi smiled a broad smile at Bo, "No worries, sugar. I've got this." She took another stumbling step upward, and Bo followed, carefully helping Tamsin climb up after them.

Bo sighed as she and Kenzi helped Tamsin over the last step. "Alright. I think I've got her from here... could you, maybe go get the cocoa and the first aid kit from downstairs?" Bo asked, an innocent look on her face that she knew Kenzi could never resist.

"Ugh!" Kenzi threw her hands up in the air, "Busy work, busy work. Fine." She slowly began to make her way down the stairs, clinging as she nearly tripped going down the first step.

"Don't spill anything on your way up, babe!" Bo called, tugging Tamsin towards her room with a smirk on her face.

"That was pleasant," Tamsin winced.

"Yeah, sorry about that. How you holdin' up?" Bo asked, approaching the bed with Tamsin still in her grasp. Slowly and carefully, she helped the blonde take a seat on the edge of the mattress, grimacing herself at the evident pain she was in.

"Great," She said, her tone dripping in sarcasm as she leaned back onto the pillows with Bo's support, breathing a trembling sigh of relief as her head met the soft cushions and her back rested against the surface of the bed.

"Well, that should be better. I'm sure that couch is stuffed with rocks, or something." She smiled sympathetically down at Tamsin.

"Yeah, big difference." Tamsin meant this. She hadn't been entirely aware of how uncomfortable the couch was until this moment, though it was a definite step up from the rough backseat of her worn down truck.

"Errand girl returning with the goods!" Kenzi yelled as she made it over the last step, "Cover up bitches, I do _not_ want to see you two doing the nasty!" She came stomping into the bedroom, her left arm covering her eyes and first aid kit in hand.

Bo rolled her eyes. "I told you already, Kenz. Nothing's happening."

"Right. Nurse succulover totally won't make a move on the adorably weak valkyrie, then?" Kenzi asked, placing the mug of cocoa on the bedside table.

"Certainly not when she's injured," Bo teased, briefly making eye contact with Tamsin, who smiled back with a flirtatious grin.

"Whatever you say, lover-girl." She stumbled over to the bed and slumped down beside Tamsin. "It's possible that all of that wonderful wonderful booze is starting to kick in..."

"Starting?" Tamsin and Bo repeated in unison.

Kenzi acted offended as she slowly turned to examine Tamsin closer. Her eyes scanned over the five puncture wounds on her stomach, and her jaw dropped dramatically in response to what she saw. "Damn girl, you be toned!" She said, lightly poking Tamsin on the forearm.

Tamsin rolled her eyes as Bo began to adjust the pillows beneath her head, hoping to help her sit up a bit. "I'm a valkyrie..." She said, as if the word alone was some sort of obvious reason for her to be in shape.

"Here," Bo said, handing Tamsin the mug of cocoa after she had finished adding pillow support to help the blonde sit up. Once the mug had left her hands, the succubus reached down and lifted the blankets up so that they reached Tamsin's waste and then proceeded to open up the first aid kit, again.

Tamsin groaned, turning her head towards Kenzi.

"Oh, don't whine. You're the one who came knocking on my door, if I do recall."

"...Not like I really had anywhere else to go."

"Oh... right. I almost forgot. You live in your truck, don't you?"

Tamsin let out a slight hiss of pain as Bo pressed the alcohol drenched rag to the cut on her forehead.

"You live in your truck!?" Kenzi exclaimed.

Tamsin ignored the question, looking up into Bo's brown eyes with a serious expression. "I can't stay here, Bo."

"What do you mean?" Bo asked, ceasing her action to meet Tamsin's gaze, "You're not going anywhere in this state!"

"Bo, this is serious."

"I don't care how serious this is. You're not going anywhere and that's final." Bo pressed the rag back against Tamsin's forehead, a bit more force behind the pressure, now.

Tamsin flinched, and momentarily let an uncomfortable silence fill the room as she gathered her thoughts. She couldn't let Bo get hurt... not for her. Not because of her mistakes. "Bo..."

"Don't even try."

Kenzi noticed a look of upset on Bo's face. She genuinely cared about Tamsin, that much she could tell. She tried to mask it beneath her concentrated expression, but even drunk Kenzi could see it. She was worried about the valkyrie.

"They're not going to stop. They're going to keep coming and coming until-"

"Shut up! God, Tamsin, I don't care. We both know that they want me just as much as they want you dead. You getting yourself killed isn't going to make them stop sending people for me. So... just stop."

"You could get hurt. Kenzi could get hurt." Tamsin tried to meet Bo's eyes, but the succubus refused to look up from the task at hand.

"I'll protect all of us," Bo said with finality, taking the cocoa mug from Tamsin's hand and placing it down on the nightstand.

Kenzi placed a reassuring hand on Tamsin's shoulder. "She's good like that. Don't you worry, alright? Everything's going to be A-OK."

Tamsin couldn't help but smile; as strange as the concept was, the human-fae duo was lightening her mood. Her thought of comfort, however, was interrupted by the sudden and loud crashing sound coming from downstairs. All three girls turned their attention to the doorway, Bo's hand moving to grab a knife from her bedside table.

"Another old friend of yours?" Bo asked Tamsin.


	4. I'm not dying today

**Alright, splitting characters up. This should be fun. **

**This chapter's about three times longer than the others, I've been writing it on and off all day...between studying. See what valkubus has done to my life? You know how much homework I managed to get done? Very little. :P**

**That said, thanks for reading and enjoy the chapter. :D More to come.**

_"I'll protect all of us," Bo said with finality, taking the cocoa mug from Tamsin's hand and placing it down on the nightstand._

_Kenzi placed a reassuring hand on Tamsin's shoulder. "She's good like that. Don't you worry, alright? Everything's going to be A-OK."_

_Tamsin couldn't help but smile; as strange as the concept was, the human-fae duo was lightening her mood. Her thought of comfort, however, was interrupted by the sudden and loud crashing sound coming from downstairs. All three girls turned their attention to the doorway, Bo's hand moving to grab a knife from her bedside table._

_"Another old friend of yours?" Bo asked Tamsin._

Tamsin made to get up, but was quickly stopped as Bo pressed a heavy hand on her shoulder, pushing her back against the pillows. The brunette looked to Tamsin with a gentle smile. "Stay here, okay?" She said, easing one of the pillows out from the pile, forcing Tamsin to lie back further.

"Bo, I-"

"Kenzi," Bo said, tightening her grip on Tamsin's shoulder to silence her, "Stay with Tamsin. Don't let her get up, no matter what. You got me?"

Kenzi nodded, placing a calming hand on the valkyrie's free shoulder.

"Bo…" Tamsin breathed, "Be careful?" She felt so disgustingly conflicted, a weak gentleness butting heads with a great rage inside of her as she accepted Bo's choice to engage in the battle alone. She would've tried to get up again, but at this point, the human had more energy than her. The mere thought of moving acted only as a reminder of the ripples of crippling pain that coursed through her with every slight movement.

Bo, seeing hint of the internal struggle in Tamsin's eyes, gave the valkyrie's shoulder one last reassuring squeeze and then leapt off of the bed, slowly making her way to the stairs. She decided against glancing back at her friends as she descended them hesitantly, gripping the hilt of her knife tighter with each step. As she reached the bottom, she quickly panned the entirety of the open room, noting a shattered lamp, glass shards scattered about the wooden floor that surrounded it.

She held the knife up in front of her, venturing further into the room, coming to a stop at the couch."What the hell?" She muttered, taking another glance around, "Lamps don't just knock themselves over."

"They certainly don't," Came a chilling voice from behind her. She spun around to face it, only to be met with an empty spot in front of her. She had definitely heard a voice, and the lamp on the floor was, in fact, broken. Someone was with her… she just wasn't sure where.

"Oh," She laughed, scanning the room again. "So… what? Are you some kind of… invisible fae, or something?"

"Or something…" Said the voice, echoing off to her right. She spun on her heel, searching the vacant space for any sign of a person, but no avail.

"Shit…" She breathed, scrambling to try and think of a way to fight this mysterious fae. The voice was deep… male, Bo decided, figuring she could use that in a plan to coax him out of hiding. "Well, this isn't fair… now is it?" She asked, slowly circling around, hoping to catch some hint of him.

"It's not meant to be fair," the voice said, passing behind her, accompanied by the faint sound of whistling air brushing past.

"Where's the honour in winning a fight that you had no chance of losing?" She paused, listening to the strange sound as it danced about her, "Where's the fun in it?"

"Oh, there's fun to be had…" There was a light gust of wind, weakly slithering past her face. "But you're not who I'm here for." Suddenly a whirl of black dust-like particles began to gather from around the room, all culminating in one spot before her. They morphed together into a slim, tall man, his eyes frighteningly dark and his hands folded politely behind him. He gave a little bow, speaking as he straightened up. "But you already know that, don't you?"

A cocky smile began to curl its way onto Bo's lips. "Do I?" She asked, carefully placing herself between him and the stairway… between him and Tamsin.

"Where's the valkyrie, child?" He asked, threateningly taking a step closer to her.

Holding her position, she began playing the tips of her fingers over the knife's handle. "The valkyrie?"

"I have one target, and you are not her. I have no interest in fighting you." He took another step closer to Bo, taking advantage of his own superior height. "Now… the valkyrie. Tell me where she is."

Bo locked her eyes onto his, holding a stern, yet calm expression. "What valkyrie?" She asked slowly, taking a daring and confident step forward.

* * *

The pain came in waves, the searing from the exposed cuts mixing with the aching from the darkened bruises along her ribs. Her breath grew heavy as the pulses hit, and she would switch between staring painfully at the ceiling and clenching her eyes shut against the world. Neither really helped, but both assured she wouldn't see Kenzi's panicked, but concerned expressions. The human girl looked so innocent, it was arguably worse than Bo's constant prying, but sympathetic eyes.

She was tired. She wanted little more than to drift off into a painless sleep, but no matter how hard she tried…she couldn't. She needed to know that Bo was okay… she would be there if healing was necessary. But as the thought passed through her mind, so did the reminder that Bo was too 'good' to feed off of an injured friend. She would never put _any_ of her friends in a position like that… not if she could help it… even if it meant her own death. That was her best quality, Tamsin thought… and yet, it was also her worst. If it meant helping someone she cared about, occasionally even someone she barely knew, Bo was a downright masochist, leaning towards wannabe martyr.

"What are you thinking about?" Kenzi asked, breaking the silence that they had been sharing for the past few minutes.

"Stubborn ass Bo," Tamsin replied, her eyes closed.

Kenzi smiled. "You worried about her?"

Tamsin opened her eyes, casting a curious glance at the small human. "Of course I'm worried about her. Why wouldn't I be?"

"… I don't know. You're pretty hard to read, sometimes."

The valkyrie relaxed. She studied Kenzi's expression, trying to read her thoughts… her fears. Tamsin felt it everywhere… practically all the time, but this fear was different. This fear was dense, yet there was something so tamed about it. Kenzi, an innocent force in an ever darkening world, was perpetually bound by terror beyond that of anything she could comprehend. It clutched at her very soul, threatening to claim it with a great darkness, but something held it back. Something free… _'she is my heart, Tamsin,'_ was all her mind offered up in response. She had Bo... and Dyson, Trick, Hale… she had an anchor, drenched in a glorious light that shone through any and every dark spot. Tamsin was almost jealous.

"Bo told me about you," Kenzi said in almost a whisper, piercing through Tamsin's increasingly distant train of thought.

"Yeah?"

"It's not your fault, Tamsin." She rested a light hand on the valkyrie's forearm. "None of this is your fault."

Tamsin let out a short laugh. "Right. This isn't my fault… I didn't bring this upon us all," She said sarcastically.

"If it hadn't been you, it would've been someone else… and I'm willing to bet that whoever that person would've been, they wouldn't have defied everything to protect Bo." Kenzi, as well as Tamsin, seemed to have sobered up a bit since Bo's exit. She reached across the valkyrie's lap, grabbing the rag that Bo had been using to clean the injuries. She looked to Tamsin, as if she were asking for her approval to continue the succubus' work, moving her hand to the valkyrie's forehead after receiving a light nod from Tamsin.

She continued to clean the wound in silence, gently dabbing the blood away. She got up once to wet the rag with water, then returned, beginning to wipe at the crimson red lines that had dribbled their way down Tamsin's pale face. "So…" she said, clearing the tense quiet that had consumed the dark room, "I never did hear what happened to you."

"Neither did Bo," Tamsin replied flatly.

* * *

Before Bo knew what was happening, her body had been slammed up against the nearest wall, two frighteningly cold hands wrapped around her neck.

"Tell me where the valkyrie is, and I won't kill you!" The dark man said, his grip tightening.

"I'd like to see you try," Bo laughed, crashing the hilt of her knife into the side of his head, sending him stumbling backwards. She lunged forward, the tip of the knife pointed at her foe's chest. But just as she would have made contact with cool flesh, she fell into a mass of darkness.

It surrounded her, pushing against her from all directions. She dared not breathe him in, so all she could do was flail her arms about in a desperate attempt to meet something solid with a left hook or the edge of her blade.

"It would be an utterly insignificant act for me to kill you," she heard against her ear, "In a breath, I could consume you. I could fill you in your entirety, destroy all that you are before you had the chance to blink."

"Then haven't you done it yet?" Bo choked, the taste of ash resting on her tongue.

"I've already told you." The black mass freed her from its grasp, transforming back into the slim figure she'd been fighting earlier.

Bo's expression hardened. There was something so deeply unsettling about the man that stood before her that it sent chills down her spine. She wanted him dead or gone, but neither of those seemed to be likely scenarios. "The valkyrie?" She asked.

"Precisely."

"I told you… there's no valkyrie here!" Bo spat.

"I can sense her here… but what I find hard to understand is why you're protecting her. Are you willing to die for a traitor?"

Bo was pissed, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Every word he spoke added to the rage building inside of her. "She's no traitor."

"Ah, so you admit you have knowledge of her."

Bo silently cursed herself, struggling to maintain her hard exterior.

"It's no matter, that knowledge was acquired by me some time ago. But I ask you again, are you willing to die for a traitor?"

"I've already told you ass-face, she's not a Goddamn traitor!"

"She had orders! She has failed. She has defied him, and as such, she is a traitor. Now hand her over."

"So you can do what with her?" Bo asked, her grip on the knife in her hand tightening.

A sickening smile made its way onto his cold face. "Just hand her over."

"Never."

"So, you're willing to die for her, then?"

"I am... but I'm not dying today," Bo said, swiftly pulling her arm back then thrusting it forward, releasing the knife.

The man's eyes widened, his body beginning to vanish in a puff of black particles. The knife entered into the cloud, and suddenly the particles were thrown to the ground with a heavy thud, slowly gathering together into his trembling form, the small knife planted deep in his chest.

Bo knelt down beside him, wrapping her hand around his thin throat and aggressively pressed his head against the floor boards. "Who's failed now?" She said, her voice smooth and confident. She pulled his head back up off of the ground, holding his face before hers. Her mouth opened and a blue stream of energy filled the space between them. She could feel his power flowing through her; the taste wasn't magnificent by any stretch, but she was hungry and it made for a satisfactory meal.

She watched, blue eyed, as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and what little colour his skin held claim to vanished, releasing her grasp on his lifeless body once she had consumed all that remained of him. "Ass hat."

* * *

"So… did he catch you off guard?" Kenzi asked, hoping she could convince Tamsin to tell the story of how she managed to get the shit beaten out of her.

"She." Tamsin answered shortly.

"…did you know her?"

Tamsin smiled sadly. "Yes."

"Who was she?"

Tamsin hesitated. No one ever really asked her anything personal… at least, not until she'd come here… met _them._ It was strange to think of opening up about who she was… what she'd done. Generally, people assumed her existence was defined by what she was. A valkyrie and nothing more. A killer. "Her name was Helena."

"And you were friends?" Kenzi asked, crawling over to a spot beside the valkyrie's legs, then crossing her legs as she cast her icy blue gaze upon Tamsin. It was story time.

"Many… _many _years ago."

Kenzi frowned. "Did something happen?"

The blonde took a deep breath, fighting the exhaustion that threatened to envelope her. She wouldn't admit it, but the conversation with the human was helping on that front, not to mention distracting her from the pain that still racked through her body. "Let's just say… I changed. I met someone, and turned to a life of solitude."

"Ouch. Why?"

Tamsin shook her head softly, shrugging. "A number of reasons." She pressed her hand to her necklace. "But... none of that really matters now," she said, dropping her hand.

Kenzi lowered her gaze, realization settling upon her hazy mind. "She's dead."

"I killed her," Tamsin said, her voice beginning to tremble.

"You had no choice." Kenzi looked back to Tamsin, awed by the raw innocence she could see in the valkyrie's eyes. "So… she just attacked you?"

The valkyrie cleared her throat, trying to reign in her emotions. "Yeah. Well, I was… partaking in some consumption of alcoholic beverages," she said, "And then… I took the back way out."

"Always a bad idea, dude."

"Tell me about it. Anyways, she was waiting for me outside, and I was obviously… a little less than sober."

"Tipsy?"

"Glaringly."

"Oh? So drunk."

"Very."

"Well, that kinda explains the," Kenzi motioned towards Tamsin's visibly bruised ribs, "massive exterior damage."

"She knew precisely when to hit me… and it worked. I was slow… she caught me in a moment of weakness."

"But you still won."

"Well, I am epicly awesome… which I'm sure you've noticed." Tamsin smirked. "She pissed me off, and I got the upper hand."

"How… did you… uh-"

"-I snapped her neck… with my foot."

"Damn, girl. You're vicious."

Tamsin shrugged. "I'm a valkyrie."

"Yeah, still don't know what that means."

"It's hard to explain."

"I'm sure you'll tell me someday."

"Maybe, my little human friend."

Kenzi sat upright, a broad smile on her glowing face. "Friend?"

"Don't even try. I'm not saying it again."

The two girls stopped as the sound of a heavy thud filled the house. Someone, or something, had hit the ground… hard. Kenzi turned to face the doorway, and cast her eyes to the stairwell as Tamsin had done, a mix of fear and hope reflected on both of their faces. They silently waited there for what seemed a lot longer than a few minutes, intently listening for anything. Suddenly, they could hear the sound of footsteps on the stairs… as far as they could tell, there was no heavy sound of shoes hitting the wood, and a glimmer of hope shone through their dark cloud of worry; Bo hadn't been wearing any shoes. And then they could no longer hear the creaking of the steps, only the light shuffling sound of someone rounding the corner.

At once, the two girls let out a heavy sigh of relief, though neither of them had been conscious of the fact that they had been holding their breath. It was Bo who stood before them, looking better than she had when she left.

She smiled at the sight before her, her best friend cross-legged before the comfortable-looking valkyrie, which was strange because Tamsin always seemed to have her guard up. It appeared that Kenzi had broken down her walls, though the new-found openness didn't manage to hide the bags that stooped below the blonde's blue-green eyes.

"Bobo!" Kenzi yelled excitedly, jumping off the bed, running up to Bo and throwing her thin arms around the succubus' waist.

"Hey babe... you two having fun up here?" She asked, pulling Kenzi, who still firmly held Bo in her arms, towards the bed.

"Tamsin told me a story," She replied, excitedly.

"Oh, yeah?" Bo asked, looking to Tamsin with surprise.

"It wasn't a story," the blonde corrected, "She wanted to know what happened... so I told her."

"You did?"

"Glad you didn't kick the bucket," Tamsin said, changing the subject.

"Yeah... that guy seriously creeped me out, though."

Bo and Kenzi both plopped down onto the edge of the bed.

"Why?" Kenzi asked.

"I don't know... there was just something about him. He looked... kinda dead. Not literally dead, clearly, but... dead."

"Did you kill him?" Tamsin asked.

"Yep. Sucked him dry."

"He let you get close enough to feed off of him?"

"Well, I threw a knife into his chest, first."

"Ah."

An awkward silence fell upon the group, each of them turning to their own thoughts... until Bo laid a gentle hand on Tamsin's lap. "You look tired."

"I am," She sighed in response.

"Why don't you go to sleep?"

She had no intention of telling Bo that she had been waiting for her, so she gave her a half-truth. "The moment I close my eyes, you're just gonna start trying to patch me up, again. That shit hurts."

"Then wouldn't it make more sense to sleep through it?"

"How does anyone sleep through that?"

Bo smiled. "I think I have some sleeping pills in the bathroom... they'll knock you out, guaranteed."

Tamsin looked conflicted. "What if someone else attacks?"

"I'm going to call Dyson to come stand guard... but even if someone does attack, what are you gonna do? Fall on them?"

"Hey, now! I can still fight."

"Without your powers... and the ability to stand for more than a few seconds at a time?"

"Who said I don't have my powers?"

"Your valkyrie mojo knocks you out, doesn't it?" Kenzi interjected.

Tamsin frowned at the truthful statement, noting that Bo really did tell her everything.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Bo said soothingly, "You'll be back to fighting shape in no time. But for now, why don't we get you some rest?"

"...fine. Give me the damn pills."

Bo smiled and gently shoved Kenzi, nodding towards the bathroom.

"Again with the busy work?" She groaned, rising to her feet and trudging away.

"What are best friends for?" Bo called.

"Oh, I don't know... moral and emotional support, excessive teasing and taunting... money!?"

"Busy work!"

Kenzi rolled her eyes and reached into the footlocker, drawing out a small bottle of pills. She glanced over the label once before returning to the bedroom, handing Bo the container.

"Why, thank you," Bo said, opening the bottle and dumping a single pill out onto her hand.

"Yeah, yeah."

The succubus reached over and grabbed the cup of cocoa on the nightstand, handing it to Tamsin, the pill in her other hand. "C'mon," She said, dropping the pill into the valkyrie's hand.

"I feel like this is some sort of scheme of yours," Tamsin said, tossing the pill into her mouth then pressing the cup to her lips.

"Oh, yeah," Bo said, watching as Tamsin tilted the cup back and swallowed the pill, "It's all part of my master plan. Knock you out, then Kenzi and I will draw all over you with permanent marker, see if we can't make you look like a kitty or something."

"Is that so?" Tamsin responded, handing the cup back to Bo.

"It is," Kenzi teased.

Tamsin smiled, relaxing against the pillows after Bo carefully adjusted them, having placed the mug back on the nightstand. "Sleep," the succubus commanded.

"Mhm..." Tamsin closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and releasing it as she allowed the darkness to consume her. Bo was okay... all was good. For now, at least. And that was all that she could ask for. It didn't take long at all; in no more than a minute, she was out cold.


	5. Good as new

**_Shortish... sorry, guys. Typed this up tonight. Time to start throwing in some other characters, this is the build up to that. Anyways, I wrote this up pretty quick, so forgive any errors._**

**_AND enjoy. :D Hopefully I can throw out some more soon, but I have a major exam on the 6th (despairing). If I don't have anything up before then, definitely expect something soon there after. _**

**_*For the impatient 'the unaligned'. :P Contradicting theories bouncing around in my head... thanks for that.*_**

_"Sleep," the succubus commanded._

_"Mhm..." Tamsin closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and releasing it as she allowed the darkness to consume her. Bo was okay... all was good. For now, at least. And that was all that she could ask for. It didn't take long at all; in no more than a minute, she was out cold._

"She's kind of adorable…" Kenzi spoke, a hint of surprise in her tone, with her head resting on Bo's shoulder as the two women sat at Tamsin's side.

They had been staring at her for quite a few minutes, allowing a gentle quietness to settle upon the dimly lit room. There was little to be heard but the rhythmic sound of Tamsin's light breath and the occasional gust of wind from a cool early morning breeze.

"Yeah," Bo sighed.

"What time is it?"

Bo lifted her phone from the side table. "Two. Why? You tired?"

"Surprisingly… no. Just wondering." Kenzi lifted her head from Bo's shoulder, reaching over and gently pushing aside Tamsin's unbuttoned shirt, revealing the bloody wound. "You gonna clean that?" She asked, grimacing at the sight.

Bo had been so caught up in the calmness of the moment that she'd almost forgotten the job at hand. Grabbing the rag from a spot beside Tamsin, she glanced over at Kenzi with her equivalent of puppy-dog eyes.

The small brunette knew exactly what that look meant. "Busy work?" She groaned, slowly crawling to the edge of the bed.

"Please?"

"Not like you'd let me say no. What do you need?" Kenzi said, jumping to her feet.

Bo smiled. "Two bowls filled with warm water…and a fresh shirt from my closet."

"You have a specific shirt in mind?"

"Something dark. I think I have a black button up in there, somewhere."

Kenzi turned, beginning to make her way to the staircase.

"Thanks, babe!"

Waving her hand, Kenzi disappeared around the corner that led to the staircase, the heavy thud of her reluctant steps prominently echoing throughout the still house.

Bo turned back to Tamsin, who laid peacefully asleep, her eyes lightly dancing about beneath closed eyelids. She reached forward, brushing a few stray strands of Tamsin's blonde hair aside, taking a moment to run her thumb along the splattered blood stains that tainted the bright yellowish colour…that would be a bitch to wash out tomorrow. She could feel Tamsin's skin brushing against the back of her hand, smiling at the significant change in the valkyrie's body temperature. She was warmer, Bo's thick blanket pulled up to her waist where the hem of black jeans met pale pink skin that rested beneath a few layers of dried blood.

Sighing, the succubus lifted the bottle of antiseptic, pouring some of it onto the cloth in her hands. Slowly, she lowered it down to the parts of the wound that she had missed earlier, lightly dabbing the first of the puncture marks. Tamsin's brow furrowed slightly at the touch, her calm melodic breathing interrupted by a light gasp, but Bo ignored it, hoping the faster she moved the less pain the blonde would be in. She prudently wiped away all of the blood on and directly surrounding the first laceration, moving onto the next with the same care. Just as she finished with the second, her free hand resting on Tamsin's shoulder in a vain attempt to calm her, Kenzi came in, two medium sized bowls in her hands.

"You've commenced with the cleansing, I see," Kenzi announced, walking over to the bedside table and carefully placing the bowls onto its surface. She then made her way over to the closet, ripping the two doors open before beginning to rifle through the numerous articles of clothing, most of which seemed to share the common recurring theme of 'black'. "Black button up, she says, should be in here somewhere, she says…" Kenzi muttered to herself, frantically shoving shirts aside.

Bo shook her head, an amused smile evident on her lips, as she brought her attention back to Tamsin's care. She dipped the reddened rag into one of the bowls, swished it around, rung it out and then swiftly poured some more of the alcoholic substance onto the cloth. She softly applied the substance to the next claw mark, wiping at the blood that covered it.

"Black button up shirt," Kenzi said in exasperation, placing the shirt beside Tamsin on the bed.

"That wasn't so hard, right?" Bo teased.

"Ha-ha-ha," Kenzi laughed sarcastically, "How long is she gonna be out, anyways?" She decided to move on from the idle banter, considering the current situation.

"Don't know. A while, I'd say. That shit is powerful… usually has me out for half the day."

"She's probably not going to like that."

"Probably not, but who ever said she had a say in the matter? She did come knocking on _our_ door, if I do recall."

"Right…" She let her eyes wander down to the blonde's bare stomach, following the raw and purpled spots that engulfed the entirety of her left side, and part of her right. The bruises had settled a bit since Kenzi first saw them, taking on a darker and more gruesome colour. "Geez…" The small human breathed, sliding up to a spot beside Tamsin, opposite of Bo, on the large bed.

"Yeah…" Bo said, finishing up the last of the puncture marks. She smiled at her work, then plunged her rag into the second bowl. "I don't know what to do about those," she admitted, her smile fading slightly.

"Did you try—you know—doing your thing? Healing her?"

"Tried and failed… there's something about her. It doesn't work," she said sadly.

Kenzi considered the consequences of the words that were about to come from her mouth, but she knew Bo had thought of it, already. It took her a moment to muster up the courage to dig the raw subject back up, but it looked to be the only option. She opened her mouth, urging herself to say the words, but was cut off by Bo. "I'll call her after I'm through with this," she said solemnly, a sad quietness to her voice.

"The doc will know what to do…" Kenzi said, hoping to add support to Bo's, undoubtedly faltering, announcement.

"Yeah," Bo smiled, "She'll patch Tamsin up—good as new."

Kenzi reached over Tamsin, placing a comforting hand on the Succubus' knee. Bo hadn't seen Lauren in over a weak, and things were just starting to get back to normal. She had come to terms with the idea of their relationship being over, though she still wasn't quite happy with the reality of it. Every day Bo saw the doctor was another day of startled midnight awakenings, a frazzled Kenzi tiredly comforting her best friend until the two of them finally drifted off into a heavy sleep. But then Lauren disappeared… diving deep into her work. Kenzi had seen her a few times, just checking up, for everyone's sake. Bo would ask and Kenzi would avoid the question, giving up only enough to assure the emotionally unstable brunette that Lauren was alive… that she was safe. Kenzi could only hope that after having had the chance to mull things over, Bo would be okay seeing the doctor again.

Bo lifted the rag from the bowl, ringing it out and then lowering it back down to Tamsin's bare stomach. She spent the next few minutes of long silence clearing away the remaining blood that had been smeared across Tamsin's skin, opting to avoid the areas with the most bruising. Despite the aching pain in her chest at the thought of seeing Lauren, her concern lied with Tamsin now… she would do what it took to help the valkyrie, even if it meant seeing the one person she desperately hoped to avoid. She tried to push the idea 'Lauren' aside, instead, choosing to settle upon the fact that Lauren was a doctor who specialized in fae care. Tamsin was fae and she needed care. _Simple as that_, Bo thought to herself, shoving her own emotional doubt back.

So once she finished, she took her phone in hand and pressed the familiar numbers. "Here goes nothing," she said, tapping the green call button, and raising the phone to her ear.

There were a few moments of silence, and then came the dial tone… _ringing_…_ringing_…_ringing_… _ringi_—"H-hello?" Came a familiar tired voice on the other end.

"Lauren. I need your help."


	6. I need your help

**So, I threw this together pretty fast. Sorry if it seems rushed, I wanted to get this part over with. That said, happy to throw another character into the mesh. As I was yesterday, sorry again for the shortness of this. Next chapter should be longer. More characters, too! So yay! :) Anyways... enjoy!**

_Bo took her phone in hand and pressed the familiar numbers. "Here goes nothing," she said, tapping the green call button, and raising the phone to her ear._

_There were a few moments of silence, and then came the dial tone… ringing…ringing…ringing… ringi—"H-hello?" Came a familiar tired voice on the other end. _

_"Lauren. I need your help."_

A loud knock sounded downstairs, three heavy repetitive beats that rattled through the old house and echoed through the deep silence that had come following the phone call. Bo's gaze was torn from Tamsin's peaceful expression as she lifted her eyes to meet Kenzi's. "Stay with her?"

Kenzi smiled a gentle, knowing smile, and nodded, placing her small hand on Tamsin's forehead and gently brushing the blonde's hair aside. "I've got her. No worries."

"Okay…"

"Deep breaths, babe. You've got this."

"Right." Bo looked down at Tamsin one last time, taking in a deep breath before releasing it and turning to walk out of the room. She quickly descended the stairs and strode over to the front entrance. Hesitantly, she reached her hand out, resting it on the knob for a moment, and then twisting the lock and pulling the door open to reveal the determined looking blonde. She could feel her eyes soften as she took in the sight of the woman standing before her. "Lauren…"

"Bo…"

The two women stood in place, similar saddened expressions on their faces, for a few long seconds. With a heavy breath to break the silence, Bo let a welcoming smile appear on her face, and stepped aside. "You look… well," She said as Lauren slid past her and into the open room.

"As do you."

"I-I'm sorry it's so early, it's just—"

"It's fine, Bo," Lauren interrupted, turning to face the succubus. "I'm assuming, since you're the one opening the door, it's Kenzi that's hurt?" Lauren held her bag in front of her, gripping the leather handle with two tense hands. She had hoped to avoid such an awkward encounter with Bo, and yet… here she stood… in Bo's house... being awkward.

"No. No, Kenzi's fine."

"If not Kenzi, then Dyson?" Lauren could feel her heart pounding against her chest. Though her relationship with Bo was over… the idea of Bo and Dyson together still made her heart ache.

"Not Dyson… though I'll be asking him to stop by in a bit," Bo said, taking a step closer to Lauren. Tamsin had told her about her last confrontation with the good doctor, and Bo wasn't sure how Lauren would feel about helping someone she probably hated. "Tamsin. It's Tamsin," she said, carefully.

In that moment, Lauren's happy façade fell to shambles, replaced by an expression that could only be described as a cross between anger and fear. "T-Tamsin?" She stuttered.

"Yeah. Look—I know how you two left off, but… she's hurt, Lauren." Bo took another step forward, her pleading eyes gazing into the doctor's.

"Bo… I don't trust her—"

"But I do. I trust her."

"She doesn't need your help, Bo. She's a cold, cold hearted bitch… and she can take care of herself."

"Do you honestly think I would've called you here if I thought she could take care of herself, right now!?"

"Even if she can't, I-I can't help her!" Lauren took a step back, her eyes never leaving Bo's.

"Can't… or won't?" Bo asked, hurt in her eyes. Lauren could see it; she could feel it boring deep into her soul, weighing heavy on her chest. But everything inside of her told her that Tamsin had been up to no good for some time, and that she couldn't be trusted. Lauren loved Bo. Despite recent events, she would do anything and everything to keep her safe. Even if that meant ignoring her call.

"Won't. I won't do it, Bo." She tightened her grip on her bag, letting out a shaky breath. "I know you, Bo. You always want to see the good in people… you always try and find that one piece of humanity to salvage. But Tamsin… Tamsin doesn't have that."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Lauren," Bo said, desperately trying to hold back the inner rage that was screaming to break free.

"Bo…" Lauren said, a pitying expression painted on her face, "Tamsin's not what she seems. She's dark, and something about her makes me feel like she's about to bring some serious shit down upon as all!"

"I know!" Bo said bitterly.

"You don't—what?"

"About Tamsin. I know everything."

"What do you mean by 'everything'?" Lauren asked.

"Everything, Lauren! I _know_ that she had a mission to drag me off to whatever desolate land her ass-hole of a boss wanted me, but here I fucking stand!"

"W-what?"

"Shit, Lauren! She told me everything!"

"And, after finding out that she betrayed you… you what, opened your home to her? Took her into a comfy little succubus hug!?"

Bo was pissed. Her mind grew foggy with anger, and it took all that she had to keep her from slapping Lauren clear across the face.

"She's bad news, Bo, and you know it."

"I trust her a hell of a lot more than I trust you, right now!"

"Oh, really!?" Lauren laughed, "Clearly she's got you wrapped around her little finger!"

Bo wanted to fight back, to scream at her ex, to defend Tamsin… but instead, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing the growing rage back down. She wouldn't snap… she needed Lauren, right now. Tamsin needed Lauren. "Please, Lauren," She begged, opening her eyes, a look of desperation imbedded deep in their brown center.

Lauren froze in place, scanning every inch of Bo's face. She could see the emotion on it… the anger that she fought to hold back. She couldn't help but think about how there was a time when Bo would've trusted her judgment… there was a time when her word would have been all that mattered. "I should go."

"No!" Bo stepped forward, placing a gentle hand atop of Lauren's, which still clung tightly to her bag. She had to fight the urge to use her 'succubus charm', as so many had called it, on the doctor. She wanted Lauren to agree to this on her own terms, fearing that use of her powers would only dig her deeper into the hole. "Please… she needs your help, Lauren."

"Bo…"

"_I_ need your help, Lauren. So… please," she said in almost a whisper. But Lauren heard every word, every single drop of genuine need. She had underestimated how much Bo cared for Tamsin, and now she almost regretted expressing her fears to begin with. She mentally set her distrust towards the valkyrie aside, nodding lightly at the succubus who stood before her.

"…A-alright."

A light smile made its way onto the Bo's face. "Alright?"

"Alright. I'll help her," Lauren said, returning Bo's smile, "Take me to her."

"She's upstairs." Bo slid her hand up to Lauren's wrist, tugging the blonde doctor towards the staircase and guiding her up.


	7. I did warn you

**Sorry for the wait. My bad. Anywho, I tried to make this one longer. **

**Thanks to The Unaligned for being so very impatient, and continuing some very awesome conversations with me. You're a cool dude. Hope this chapter was worth your 'endless' wait. **

**Anyways, Enjoy!**

_"I need your help, Lauren. So… please," Bo said in almost a whisper._

_"…A-alright."_

_A light smile made its way onto the succubus' face. "Alright?"_

_"Alright. I'll help her," Lauren said, returning Bo's smile. "Take me to her."_

_"She's upstairs." Bo slid her hand up to Lauren's wrist, tugging the blonde doctor towards the staircase and guiding her up them._

* * *

Kenzi couldn't help it. After an agonizingly long minute of waiting, she climbed off the bed and tip-toed over to the top of the stairway, where she quietly stood leaning against the wall.

"She's hurt, Lauren," Kenzi heard Bo say. She couldn't make out much, it seemed like the two women were speaking in hushed tones… but for what reason, Kenzi wasn't sure. Still, she continued her strained attempt to listen in on the conversation occurring down the stairs.

She could vaguely make out the word 'trust' as Lauren and Bo's voices began to rise in volume. And then came Bo's voice, clear and loud, anger mixed with some other emotion… desperation? "Do you honestly think I would've called you here if I thought she could take care of herself, right now!?"

There were a few more statements that Kenzi couldn't quite make out… but Bo's tone had her on edge. She was scared… angry.

"…I won't do it, Bo."

Kenzi was shocked. Though she hadn't been able to make out the entirety of the heated conversation, the few lines she caught were enough to gather the gist of it. "Lauren doesn't want to help Tamsin?" She breathed, slowly pushing herself off of the wall. For a moment, she considered making her presence known… or rather, she considered giving Lauren a piece of her mind. But after a few moments of internal debate, she figured Bo could handle the stubborn doctor on her own. So she tiredly made her way back over to the bed, where she carefully climbed onto the large mattress, taking her seat beside the valkyrie.

A few long minutes later, footsteps could be heard climbing the stairs. "All good?" Kenzi asked to Bo, as the two women rounded the corner into the room.

"All good," Bo assured. She glanced over at Lauren, who had stopped upon entering the room, her eyes fixed, not on Tamsin, but on the bed that the blonde rested upon.

Vivid memories of the nights she and Bo had spent together filled Lauren's mind. At the time, back when they were together, the thought had never crossed her mind that she might be standing in this very room, a stranger to all that it had become to her.

"Lauren?" Bo asked. In the time that Lauren had taken to reminisce about past affairs, Bo had managed to make her way over to Tamsin's side, where she stood with a light hand on the Valkyrie's shoulder, soft eyes cast towards the doctor.

"…right." Lauren approached the bed. She cleared her throat as she placed her medical bag on the edge of the bed, opening it up and pulling her stethoscope out. "Do you know what happened?" She asked, walking over to stand beside Bo.

"Uh… I didn't really have the chance to—"

"She was attacked," Kenzi stated, "Outside of a bar."

Lauren and Bo both looked at Kenzi, mirrored expressions of curiosity on their faces.

"What?" The small human girl said, shifting slightly beneath the weight of their gazes. "I asked. She told."

"You've really got a way with people, Kenz," Bo said, a broad smile appearing on her face.

"So, she was attacked. Any particular reason?" Lauren asked with a slight accusatory tone as she pressed the cool metal chestpiece of her stethoscope against the pale skin on Tamsin's chest. After half a minute or so of listening to the shakily rhythmic sound of the valkyrie's breathing, Lauren slid the stethoscope off of her neck and placed it back into her medical bag, looking up to meet Kenzi's blue gaze.

Kenzi opened her mouth, entirely prepared to defend Tamsin, but was cut off by Bo. "Does that really matter right now?"

Lauren's eyes lingered on Kenzi for a few more seconds before turning to look at Bo. "No… I suppose it doesn't." She could tell Bo was pissed… this would be a difficult 'transgression', as Bo would call it, to smooth over. Assuming it could be smoothed over. The true question was whether or not she wanted it smoothed over.

"So," Bo said, uncomfortable with the silence that had followed Lauren's last statement, "I tried to clean the more serious cuts. I think all of the bleeding has stopped… but it's these bruises that have me worried." She reached down and gently pulled Tamsin's shirt further apart, revealing more of the purple-brown injuries. "She can hardly move," she said, concern taking hold of her expression and tone.

Lauren sighed, leaning down to take a closer look at the dark bruises lining the valkyrie's ribs. "How did you find her?" Lauren asked, pressing her index, middle, and ring fingers lightly against Tamsin's ribs.

"I didn't. She came here, banging on our door about… an hour or two ago."

The blonde doctor continued her examination of Tamsin, lightly pressing against the purpled skin to feel the bone beneath. The valkyrie groaned slightly at the touch, but her eyes remained shut, and her breathing light. "And you just let her in. No questions asked?"

"There were questions… and answers. But again, that's not really important right now. What's important is Tamsin, and how she's doing."

Lauren cleared her throat and straightened up. "Did she pass out or…"

"We gave her some strong ass sleeping pills," Bo said, pointing to the medicine bottle on the nightstand, "Knocked her right out. Though… she was pretty out of it before."

"Well, that's probably for the best. She's got a few cracked ribs… it's nothing too serious, but she should probably stay in bed for a few days. If you know where she lives, I can—"

"She's staying here," Bo said.

Lauren glanced over at Kenzi, hoping for some sort of objection, but was met only by a wide grin. "If that's what you two want…" Lauren sighed, reaching down and closing her bag, "I think I'll be going, now. Regular pain medication should do, if she wants them… just… keep her in bed, make sure she's breathing fine, ice her ribs."

"Uh—thanks, Lauren. It means a lot that we can… you know, still be friends." Friends, Bo thought. Right back to where they started.

Lauren didn't really like the idea either. She glanced Bo over, trying to get a sense of what she might be thinking… feeling, but Lauren couldn't read Bo anymore. Something in the succubus had changed after her dawning. She'd become stronger, darker… but calmer. To any other person, it might seem that she had gained the newfound ability to switch her emotions off, but Lauren knew better. She was hiding behind a strong face… a happy face. But she was angry, and she was sad… and she was broken. It killed Lauren to think that she was partly to blame for this, but it was a necessary evil. That she recognized. They could never be.

"And thanks for—uh—helping Tamsin." Bo flashed Lauren a light smile, hoping to ease the tension that had been floating about the shack since the doctor's arrival.

"I've made my feelings towards her clear, Bo. I did this for you… not her." Lauren glanced over at the valkyrie. "I maintain that she's dangerous."

"And as I recall," Kenzi interrupted, clearly enraged by Lauren's comment, "You didn't exactly have the best of intentions when you and Bo first met. I wouldn't be so quick with the judgmental blows there, doc. You came out on top. Why is it so hard for you to believe that she can, too!?"

Lauren took a deep breath, anger evident on her tired face. "Clearly I can't change your minds… but know that I did warn you." At that, Lauren turned on her heel and exited the room.

Bo waited until she heard the front door open and close before she turned back to face Kenzi.

"Well…" The blue eyed brunette sighed, "_that _was awkward.

Bo remained still, thoughts roaming about in her mind.

"You didn't tell her…"

"About Tamsin? She doesn't need to know."

"You don't think it would help… with the Tamsin trust thing?"

"Do you trust her?"

"I do." Kenzi smiled, reaching a hand out to play with the light blonde hair before her. "She went against everything to save you, Bo…and look at how she's paying for it."

"You think I should've told Lauren?"

"I think it would've helped."

"I don't know…" She sighed, "We'll talk about it later. Right now, I think I'm going to try and get some sleep."

"…uh… Bobo," Kenzi said, pointing towards Tamsin, "The valkubitch is kinda in your bed."

"So?" She said, "Are you sleeping with me, tonight?"

Kenzi smiled. "Sure, but you're sleeping in the middle. I do _not _want to be the one she kills when she finds out we all slept together."

"Aw, she'll get over it… but first," Bo pointed to the black shirt Kenzi had grabbed that lied beside Tamsin's head on the bed.

"Right… Have fun with that one!"

"Nope! You're gonna help me with this. Come on, it'll be fun!" Bo said sarcastically, lifting the shirt and handing it to Kenzi before she reached down and gently pushed Tamsin up.

With a heavy sigh, Kenzi lightly raised Tamsin's arm and slipped it into the first sleeve, then reached around to the other side and fought to raise Tamsin's left arm. After a few moments of cursing, and some help from Bo, the sleeve finally slid on, and Tamsin was carefully placed back onto the bed. "Well that _was _fun, Bobo," Kenzi stated, her tone equally as sarcastic Bo's was in her previous statement.

Rolling her eyes, Bo walked around to the end of the bed and climbed up. She carefully laid herself down beside Tamsin, pulling the covers over her own body, and then holding them open for Kenzi to climb under. "I'm beat."

"Uh… shouldn't we like—I don't know—button her up?" Kenzi said, nodding towards Tamsin's unbuttoned shirt.

"Nah, it'll just make it more awkward when we have to unbutton it again in the morning. Now c'mon, I'm tired."

With a momentary pause for thought, followed by an accepting nod, Kenzi gleefully crawled under the covers and cuddled up to Bo. "Night, Bo."

"Night, Kenz."

It didn't take long for the two of them to fall asleep with Kenzi in Bo's warm embrace and Bo's chin resting atop her head.

* * *

Kenzi woke first to Bo shifting beside her, flinching at the rays of light that filled the room. Her head ached. Why did her head ache? "…right… Booze," she breathed, answering her own mental question as she slowly peeled the covers off of her small frame and slipped out of bed. She took a moment to balance herself before wandering off towards the end of the bed, where she stopped to look upon the two fae before her. Bo was on the right side, her brown hair draped over her shoulders and sprawled out atop the pillow that lied beneath her head, a serene look painted on her calm face. She had rolled onto her side at some point, facing the blonde that laid beside her.

Tamsin's hand rested at her side, her knuckles lightly touching Bo's fingertips. Kenzi couldn't help but smile at the image. The two women looked so calm… so at peace.

Figuring Tamsin wouldn't wake until at least midday, and hoping to let Bo sleep some more, Kenzi turned on her heel and tip-toed over to the stairs, of which she quietly descended. Once she reached the bottom, she sauntered over to the fridge and pulled out a box of leftover pizza.

As she took her first bite, she pulled her phone out from her jean pockets. She wasn't aware, until this moment, that she'd fallen asleep in her jeans… let alone with her phone in her pocket, but, pushing the thought aside, she pressed the power button and began to dial a familiar number. Tapping the green icon to begin the call, she raised the phone and pressed it to her ear.

After a few rings, a hefty voice answered. "Kenzi?"

"What up wolfman?" Kenzi asked, taking another large bite of her cold pizza.

"What is it? I'm working." He seemed a bit irritated.

"What, bad day already?"

"You could say that." He paused. "Did you need something in particular, or is this just a social call?"

"Actually, this is a bit less than social," Kenzi said, placing her pizza atop the square box, "Bo said she'd call you, but I woke up first and figured I should let her sleep a bit longer… I'm thinking she's going to need her rest."

Kenzi could practically hear Dyson leaning forward in his chair with a furrowed brow and an intense glare. "Kenzi, what's going on?"

"You should come over. I'll let Bo explain it to you. Just know that… Tamsin's been hurt."

"What!?" He let out a low growl. "What do you mean Tamsin's been hurt? When? How? Where is she!?"

"Whoa, there! Calm down, man. She's fine-ish, and she's here. So hurry up and get your doggy ass over here so we can fill you in on all the juicy details, dude!"

Dyson was silent for a moment, and then he spoke. "…right. On my way."

"See you soon, then." Kenzi waited until the call ended before placing the phone down onto the counter and lifting her slice of pizza back up to her mouth.

"Who was that?"

Kenzi jumped, dropping the pizza onto the floor, where the red sauce splattered across the wooden surface. "Dude! Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry." Bo smiled as she made her way over to the counter. "So? Who was that?"

"Dyson. I told him to come."

"Oh… good."

"I figured you'd want to be the one to fill him in, so I didn't tell him anything… just that Tammy's been hurt. That was enough to get him to come running."

"I'm glad. While Tamsin's out of commission, we'll need the extra hands to deal with these friggen assassin guys." Bo walked around the counter and began preparing the coffee machine, as per her daily morning routine.

"So…" Kenzi said, taking another bite of pizza. "You and Tamsin looked cozy this morning."

Bo rolled her eyes, reaching an arm out and shoving Kenzi with a playful grin. "It's not like we were cuddling, or anything."

"Yeah, but you were," Kenzi held her hand up, motioning a small size by pinching her index and thumb practically together, a small gap between the two fingers, "this close to holding hands."

"Oh, shut up, dork!"

Kenzi's voice took on a mocking tone, as if she were speaking to a child or infant, "Aw, but you two were so cute together." She stepped forward, reaching her hands out to pinch Bo's cheeks, only to be shoved away by deceptively strong arms. "Fine, fine. How is she? Did you check on her?"

"Yeah, she seems fine. I actually came down to get some ice for her ribs."

"Cool."

The two girls remained in the kitchen for about another ten minutes, Bo finishing up her morning coffee, Kenzi shoving the last of the cold pizza down her throat. They didn't actually have much to chat about, but they managed to get by on the current 'fae happenings', as Kenzi called them. But as Bo placed her now empty cup atop the island counter, a loud knock sounded through the room. It didn't stop after the typical three knocks, however. It continued its rhythmic thumping until Bo swung the door open to come face to face with a frantic Dyson.

"That didn't take long," Bo said, closing the door behind him as he rushed into the shack. He looked frazzled, and a bit more than pissed.

"Where is she?" He asked, his voice in a low growl, as Kenzi had heard before.

"Calm down, Dyson." Bo slowly walked over to the large man, placing a calming hand on the side of his arm. "She's okay. A bit worse for wear, but she'll be alright."

He closed his eyes, taking a moment to rein his inner wolf in, and then opened them again, meeting Bo's brown gaze with as much calm as he could muster. "What happened?"

Bo smiled, seeing his effort to calm himself. "She… she was attacked."

Dyson's eyes flashed yellow for the slightest of seconds, anger reemerging in his deep voice. "What do you mean attacked!? By who?"

"That's… a long story. I'll tell you a bit later, but since Tamsin's down for the count, we're going to need your help to protect her. I don't know if I'll be able to fight them all off on my own."

"Where is she, Bo?"

"Upstairs. She's asleep."

Dyson took a deep breath, desperately trying to calm himself.

"You can go up and see her if you'd like… I was going to head up, anyways."

He paused for a long moment, and then nodded to Bo, who smiled back at him in response. She looked to Kenzi, who quickly reached into the freezer and pulled out a bag of ice, opening the bag and scooping handfuls of the cold substance into multiple Ziploc bags. Grabbing a few hand towels to accompany the ice packs, she walked past the counter and handed Bo the bags. "Thanks, Kenz."

"Don't worry about it." She glanced at Dyson with a friendly smile, and then turned back to Bo. "Hey, I'm going to head out for a bit. I'll be back in an hour, or so. Okay?"

"Where are you going?"

"To see Trick. I just wanted to ask him something."

Bo nodded. "Alright. See you soon, then?"

Kenzi reached up and cupped Bo's face in her hands, pressing a light kiss to the succubus' forehead before turning and heading towards the door.

"I'll take that a yes…" Bo muttered, waving to Kenzi as she stepped outside and closed the door behind her. "Lock it!" Bo yelled. A moment later, she heard the loud click of the door locking, and then a heavy bang against its surface. At that, Bo nodded to Dyson and began to make her way over to the stairs, stopping to wait for him to follow.

After another calming breath, he did. "How is she?" He asked, heading up the stairs behind Bo.

"Not terrible. She'll probably be in bed for a couple of days."

"Damage?"

"Couple of deep cuts… broken ribs—shit!" Bo suddenly spun around, now positioned at the top of the steps, and held her hand out in front of her. "Wait here, okay?"

"…okay?"

"It'll only take a minute." Bo waited for Dyson to nod, then twisted back around and ran into her bedroom. As she approached the bed, she slowed and began walking as lightly as she could towards where Tamsin laid. With a glance over her shoulder, she reached down and slowly took hold of the top buttons of the black shirt that Tamsin wore. She slowly buttoned the top few buttons, leaving the bottom ones open so she could ice the wounds.

Nodding at her work, Bo turned back towards the stairs and called to Dyson. "Alright, you can come in now!"

Dyson answered her call with a grunt as he climbed the final few steps and turned the corner into the room, pausing at the foot of the bed as he took in the sight. The blood seemed to be limited, though Bo had failed to remove Tamsin's original white button up shirt and the bloody rags from the area, so Dyson could clearly see, and smell, the amount of blood that had been lost. It made him cringe as her forced his feet to move him to the side of the bed. "Bo, that's a lot of blood."

With a sad smile, Bo nodded to the wound on Tamsin's stomach. "It looks worse than it is… it's just that she drove herself here—"

"What!?"

"Yeah, she was at some bar. Guessing it was nearby."

Dyson lifted his gaze from Tamsin, looking into Bo's brown eyes. "She's been drinking, again."

"I haven't had much of a chance to ask her about it… but yeah."

"God, I thought she was done with that shit."

"So did I…"

"That must be why she's been avoiding me…" Dyson let the rest of his thought fade as he turned back to Tamsin, noting the dark bruises along her ribs. "That what the ice is for?" He asked.

"Oh! Right…" Bo grabbed one of the rags and lightly placed it atop Tamsin's ribs, placing a bag of ice over the surface of the rag. "Lau—I was told to ice her ribs."

"Bruised, did you say?"

"Cracked."

"Shit."

"Yeah…"

The two stood in the room, silently staring down at Tamsin's sleeping form, neither really wanting to say much else, for a while longer. Eventually, they both took up chairs, and decided to wait for her to wake… or to wait for the next attack. Whichever event came first, they were ready.

* * *

"Trick!" Kenzi yelled, storming into the Dal. "Trickster! Oh, Trick!" Kenzi walked further into the dimly lit bar, silently satisfied with the fact that she had the entire bar to herself. The satisfaction, however, was interrupted as Trick came into the bar area from the back room.

"Kenzi, so glad to know that you've let yourself in… again."

"You'd make it harder for me to get in if you really wanted me out, gramps."

Trick gave Kenzi an annoyed look as he approached the bar. "And may I ask why you've decided to grace me with your presence this fine morning?"

Kenzi's smile faded, a serious expression taking hold of her small face. She walked over to the bar, leaning over so that she and trick were eye to eye. "It's Lauren."

"What about her? Is something wrong?" Trick suddenly seemed a bit worried.

"Oh, something's definitely wrong." Quickly realizing Trick was concerned for her health and not her interpersonal relations, Kenzi waved a dismissing hand between their faces. "She's not hurt, barkeep."

Relieved, Trick grabbed two glasses from behind him and placed them on the bar.

"Tamsin's hurt, though."

Trick looked up from his bar tending, his concerned expression having returned. "What?"

"It's kind of a long story… but she was attacked."

"Is she okay?" Trick asked, beginning to fill the glasses.

"More or less…"

"That's good?"

Kenzi nodded.

"But what does this have to do with Lauren?"

Kenzi took the glass of beer that Trick had just placed on the counter in front of her. "Bo asked her over… she wanted to make sure Tamsin was alright."

"And?" Trick took a sip of his beer, his eyes never leaving Kenzi's.

"And… she refused."

"She refused to help Tamsin?"

"At first, yes!" Kenzi said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Bo finally convinced her, and even then, she didn't stay long. She gave us the doctory news, then," Kenzi motioned air quotes, "'warned' us about trusting Tamsin."

"Warned you?"

"She said that Tamsin was dangerous."

Trick placed the glass on the counter. "So, are you here for Lauren or Tamsin?"

"Lauren. I trust Tamsin… but I want to know why Lauren doesn't. There's some serious shit going down with valkubitch and our favourite little succubus—"

"And you're scared that her distrust will get one of them hurt."

"One… or both."

"I can see why you're concerned—"Just then, the Dal's door flew open with a heavy thud. Kenzi and Trick both shifted their gazes to the door, shocked at the person who stood before them.

"Well, shit," Kenzi muttered.


	8. Trust

_Dyson and Bo stood in the room silently staring down at Tamsin's sleeping form, neither really wanting to say much else, for a while longer. Eventually, they both took up chairs, and decided to wait for her to wake… or to wait for the next attack. Whichever event came first, they were ready._

Tamsin's eyes fluttered open. She laid still for a short while, blankly staring up at the wooden boards of the ceiling. Where was she? What happened? It all came back in slow floods of memories, like a building pain in her head… her body. She was just beginning to feel one pain, the pain from the bruised cut on her forehead, when another, this one stronger, consumed her. She let out a sharp gasp as the remainder of her injuries caught up with her conscious mind, forcing her eyes shut and her hands into tight, clenched fists.

"Tamsin?" Bo stood from her seat beside the bed, noting her sudden intake of breath. She placed a soothing hand atop one of the valkyrie's fist, reaching up with her free hand to brush some of the blonde hair aside. "Sh-sh… it's okay. You're safe."

"Bo?" Tamsin's eyes eased open as she adjusted to the pain, her blue-green orbs meeting Bo's dark brown ones. She looked concerned. Bo look scared. "Did someone else attack?" Tamsin asked, glancing around the room.

"No. Not since the last guy." Bo's eyes grew a bit softer, the look of fear and panic leaving them as she seated herself on the bed beside Tamsin.

"That's good…" Tamsin choked, preparing herself to begin the struggle against the pains in her body to sit up, but was stopped before she could even move her arms into the right position, Bo's sturdy hand pressed firmly against her shoulder.

"Not happening, valkyrie."

"It's not that bad, Bo. I can sit up, you know."

"Right…" Bo took her hand from the blonde's shoulder, lowering it down to Tamsin's purpled and exposed ribs. She rested the tip of her index finger on the skin right beneath the valkyrie's bra, and, very lightly, dragged it down to just below her ribs. She smiled faintly at her victory as Tamsin let out a light groan and turned her head to the side, closing her eyes against the waves of pain that stemmed from the light pressure of Bo's finger against her skin. "Because _that_ didn't hurt at all."

With a heavy sigh of defeat, Tamsin opened her eyes and turned her gaze back to Bo's.

"You came to me, remember? My house, my bed, my rules." Bo smiled and turned to the doorway as the sound of footsteps filled the small room. "Dyson, look who's awake."

The wolf's face lit up as he ran forward and thrust the fresh few bags of ice into Bo's waiting hands, quickly spinning around to face his partner. "Hey there, partner. How are you feeling?"

"I—I'm fine, it's just…" Tamsin cast an irritated gaze towards Bo. "You called the wolf?"

"We could use the extra help… and besides, he needed to know that you'd been hurt."

Tamsin's eyes shifted back to Dyson, who sat behind Bo on the bed, a child-like smile on his face. "Right… you didn't—"

"Not yet," Bo answered, quickly realizing what Tamsin was planning to ask, "I thought it would be better if you were to explain."

Dyson looked at Tamsin and Bo, a confused and slightly irked look on his face. "Explain what?"

"Not so sure that's the best of ideas…" Tamsin said, still speaking to Bo.

"Are you planning on telling me who beat the shit out of you, now?" Dyson turned to Bo. "Why Tamsin needs protection?"

"We," Bo said.

"What?"

"Why _we_ need protection. Tamsin and I."

"What the hell kind of shit have you two gotten yourselves into?" He asked, rising to his feet so that he could full on face them.

Bo sighed. "It' hard to explain…"

"Well you better start making it damn easy!"

With a frustrated groan, Tamsin tossed the ice bag aside and reached up, grabbing Bo's shoulder, and using it to painfully begin pulling herself up into a sitting position. However, she didn't manage to make it far before a sharp, aching pain pulsed through her body and she froze. With quick hands, Bo took Tamsin by the shoulders and gently pulled her against her chest and then reached behind her, the blonde still leaning against her body, and adjusted the pillows. After she had managed to set the pillows vertically, she slowly pushed Tamsin back against the now cushioned backboard of the bed. "You're so stubborn," Bo said, pulling the blanket up further and straightening out Tamsin's shirt.

"Sorry… and thanks." Tamsin took a deep breath, flinching slightly at the pain, and released it. She then looked up to face Dyson. "What all did you tell him?" Tamsin asked Bo, her eyes still locked onto Dyson.

"Just that you were attacked."

"Great… so I get to start from the beginning."

"That would be nice," Dyson spoke.

"Where to begin?" Tamsin sighed, looking down at her fumbling hands. She never fumbled. It had been easier telling Bo… it had all come out in a rush; there was no waiting, no planning of words, no expectations of any kind. This time would be harder. Tamsin shook the thought from her mind and looked back up to see Dyson's waiting eyes. "Do you remember when I became your partner? When I first came to town?"

Dyson nodded, quickly letting his gaze wander over to Bo's face. She was staring at Tamsin, lightly smiling.

"It was—me coming here—more than just the truce between the light and the dark. I was told by my… well, my boss, that I would have a job to do here at some point."

"Your boss?" Dyson asked, stealing another glance at Bo, noting that her smile had begun to fade.

"He's a powerful man." She let her eyes fall back down to her hands. "Too powerful."

There was a short moment of silence, broken soon thereafter by Bo placing a reassuring hand over top Tamsin's. "It's okay, Tamsin."

"Right," Tamsin said, clearing her throat, "Uh…from what I gathered, he—my boss—struck a deal with the Morrigan."

"What kind of deal?" Dyson asked, a low and angry growl spilling into his words. He was beginning to become angry, and both Tamsin and Bo could see it.

"Something to do with… I was to find a reason to get Bo to the dark fae compound. I was to find a reason to place her under arrest. That was the Morrigan's wish, but I wasn't sure what my boss was getting out of it." Tamsin looked to Bo with a saddened expression. "But, about two months ago, something happened. He came calling."

"What do you mean?"

"By then I had already tossed the Morrigan aside… it was during Bo's invitation to the dawning," Tamsin said, her saddened eyes still lost in Bo's gentle gaze, "I received his calling card."

"Whose?" Every breath Dyson took was practically dripping with anger. It seemed that he was struggling to contain his wolf as he stood, glaring at Tamsin, the object of his rage.

"My… boss. Twice that day, and then again later." She paused, taking in a shaky breath. Dyson looked as if he planned to rip her throat out at any second, but she was determined to continue. He had to know. "I knew what it meant… I knew who my target was to be."

"Who?" He growled.

Tamsin didn't answer, and Bo bowed her head, her hand still placed comfortingly on the blonde's.

A look of realization flashed across Dyson's face, quickly replaced by a deeper look of rage, his eyes taking on a yellowish colour. "Bo."

"I wasn—" Tamsin began, tearing her eyes away from Bo to meet the wolf's angry gaze, but as her gaze shifted, she was suddenly cut off. Within a second, before even Bo had a chance to react, a heavy growl echoed throughout the room, and Dyson's large hands were wrapped around Tamsin's throat, claws digging into flesh at the back of her neck, teeth bared inches away from her face, and golden-yellow wolf eyes staring into hers with a rage that filled even the brave valkyrie with a spot of fear. "D-Dy-son…" she choked.

* * *

_"So, are you here for Lauren or Tamsin?" Trick asked._

_"Lauren. I trust Tamsin… but I want to know why Lauren doesn't. There's some serious shit going down with valkubitch and our favourite little succubus—"_

_"And you're scared that her distrust will get one of them hurt."_

_"One… or both."_

_"I can see why you're concerned—"Just then, the Dal's door flew open with a heavy thud. Kenzi and Trick both shifted their gazes to the door, shocked at the person who stood before them._

_"Well, shit," Kenzi muttered. _

"Trick! Are you—Oh… Kenzi." Lauren had busted through the door and into the Dal, running into the center of the emptied bar. "I—well I—I thought you'd be with Bo… taking care of…" Lauren's sentence fell off into a mess of mumbles that neither Trick nor Kenzi could make out. A moment later, she lifted her gaze to meet Trick's.

"Lauren?" Trick asked, slowly making his way out from behind the bar, "Is everything alright?"

Lauren looked conflicted, glancing nervously between Trick and Kenzi. "I—"

"If you're here to say what I think you're here to say, you'd best stop there, doc," Kenzi interrupted, placing her glass down onto the bar's surface with a heavy thud.

"Kenzi, you can't expect me to stand by and wait for her to betray you all." Lauren took a few steps forward, a pleading look in her eyes. "I came here to get Trick's help… to save you a-and Bo!"

"We don't need help, and we certainly don't need any saving. Bo and Tamsin have everything under control!"

"Tamsin." Lauren let out a short, sardonic laugh. "God, that bitch."

"That's one name for you," Kenzi uttered.

Lauren seemed frustrated. "She's not who you think she is! I-I have proof!" Lauren held up a beige file.

"Proof?" Trick asked, carefully walking up to the human doctor.

Lauren placed the file in his waiting hands, maintaining a light grip on it. "She's dangerous," The blonde stated, before releasing the file and taking a step back.

Kenzi glared at her. "What kind of game are you playing?" She asked, walking up behind Trick to look down at the file.

"When Tamsin first came here, she was investigating that case," Lauren said, pointing to the file, "She was so sure that it was Bo who had placed that dark fae in a coma."

"And?" Kenzi asked, lifting her gaze from the file to continue her glare at the doctor.

"And the fae died directly after a visit from Tamsin… almost seven weeks later," Trick answered, closing the file slowly, "That doesn't make any sense. Why would she kill him?"

Kenzi bowed her head. "Get out," she snarled.

"What?" Lauren asked, clearly a bit shocked by the small brunette's reaction. She had expected surprise, turmoil, realization. Not anger. Trick looked toward Kenzi as well, a confused look on his face. Neither Kenzi nor Bo had disclosed to Trick all the details pertaining to Tamsin. He, like Lauren, was in the dark, and this particular piece of evidence was a bit disturbing.

"You heard me, dammit! Get the hell out!"

"Ken—" Lauren began.

Kenzi took a threatening step closer to Lauren. "You keep saying that you're trying to protect us, that you're trying to save us from her. But the only person here who is stirring up trouble is you! Bo told you that Tamsin had her trust! Bo told you and yet you still keep pushing!"

"Tamsin is dangerous! Bo doesn't always place her trust in the right people… you know that!"

"Apparently so… because she trusted you." Kenzi's hands clenched into tight fists as she tore her gaze away from the doctor, fighting back tears. "She trusted you to have her back. She trusted you to protect her, and instead you ripped her heart out! And then you follow that up with this shit!" She paused before turning her watery gaze back to Lauren. "She told you that Tamsin was to be trusted. She told you that she had everything under control, and you ignored her. If you had just—from the beginning—given her chance… you would know everything."

"Kenzi, don't you think you're being a bit—" Trick began, placing a hand on the girl's arm in a vain attempt to calm her.

"No, I don't!" Kenzi yelled, pulling her arm away from his comforting hand, "Lauren, get out." She turned around and closed the small distance between her and the bar, taking the glass in hand and lifting it to her lips. She took a large gulp and slammed the glass back down onto the counter. "Now!" She yelled, without even a glance behind her. She waited until she heard the heavy clacking sound of Lauren's heels walking out of the bar… until she heard the door open and close with a heavy slam, before letting the tears fall. When, moments later, Trick's comforting hand rested atop of hers, she didn't bother to look up. She felt betrayed. She had come to respect Lauren, to love her. She saw her as some great figure, holier-than-thou in the best way possible… but in light of recent events, she couldn't bring herself to remember the reasons behind why she thought that.

"When did this all begin?" She breathed, "When Lauren broke up with Bo?"

"I—"

"No… it was before then. When the kitsune… when I was taken… that was the start of this all." She wasn't really speaking to anyone in particular. Mostly herself. "When Lauren chose logic over Bo."

"Kenzi?"

"Even you," She cried, her eyes staring sadly at the half-empty glass in her hand, "You and Dyson. You all chose logic over me. And then came the breakup, and now this, and—oh, poor Bo."

"Kenzi, what's going on?" Trick asked, placing the file on the bar, "This is serious, Kenzi. You have to tell me everything."

Kenzi wiped her eyes, and turned them to Trick, who had moved behind the bar when she first started crying. "Everything's all fucked up, Trick," She said shakily.

* * *

It all happened so quickly. Bo watched as Dyson lunged across the bed, and instinctively she jumped to her feet. His large, animalistic hands engulfed the entirety of Tamsin's thin neck. Bo could see a mix of fear and sorrow in the valkyrie's blue-green eyes, her hands gripping Dyson's wrists fiercely as she choked and coughed and gasped for air. She tried to say his name, repeating it almost pleadingly.

Bo gripped the top of Dyson's bysep in one hand, and pushed against his ribs with the other, desperately trying to get him off of the blonde's frail form, though he showed no sign of it affecting him. Rather, his grip seemed to tighten and his growl grew in strength as he leaned closer to Tamsin, pushing her head roughly against the backboard. "We trusted you," he snarled, his fang-like teeth bared, "And you betrayed us!"

Bo began to panic. She let go of Dyson and stumbled backwards, turning her worried gaze towards Tamsin. Bo could see how weak she was becoming… the life being drained from her body, the will to live fading from her eyes. She watched as the valkyrie's grip loosened, and her hands fell to her sides. At this, Bo's panic crumbled into all out rage. Without hesitation, she allowed it to consume her. "No!" She screamed, a deep echo to her voice filling the room, a darkness settling upon the space around them. In a moment, both of her hands were thrust against Dyson's side with immense force, throwing him across the room and into the wall on the other side. He crumpled to the floor, shaking his head vigorously like a scared and confused dog.

"Bo…" He slowly rose to his feet, his eyes locked onto hers. But what stood before him hardly seemed to be Bo. It was as if she had been consumed by the succubus, her eyes glowing a bright, bleeding blue that illuminated the dark space before her, and a predatory smirk on her face. Dyson stood silently staring at the woman before him. He wasn't sure how to react. One minute, he had his hands around Tamsin's throat, the next he was laying on the ground on the opposite side of the room. For a moment, he considered glancing back towards Tamsin, but something about the dark look in Bo's eyes and the force behind her shove told him that he should do otherwise, so he simply held his hands up in surrender.

There was a heavy gasp that broke the silence, and Bo's blue eyes quickly returned to their natural brown colour, the darkness that had blanketed the room dissolving into the light. "What the hell was that?" Tamsin choked, grasping at her neck.

"That's what I'd like to know," Dyson panted.

Bo didn't bother to look away from Tamsin, she simply held her hand out and pointed to the door. "Out."

"You asked me here—" The wolf began.

She looked to him with cold eyes that filled him with a deep empty feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Out," She repeated, her glare fixed on him.

With a light nod and one last angry glance at Tamsin, who still remained coughing and gasping for air against the backboard of the bed, he stalked out of the room, down the stairs, and out the front door.

Bo's eyes lingered on the spot that he had been standing in for a few moments, listening to the sound of Tamsin's raspy breathing. Finally, her eyes fell to the shaking blonde in front of her. "Tamsin…" She breathed.


	9. No Talking

_Bo's eyes lingered on the spot that Dyson had been standing in for a few moments, listening to the sound of Tamsin's raspy breathing. Finally, her eyes fell to the shaking blonde in front of her. "Tamsin…" She breathed._

"Bo," Tamsin panted, slamming her eyes shut as she let her head fall back against the backboard of the bed, "I'm sorry—"

"It wasn't your fault." Bo slowly seated herself beside Tamsin, reaching out and pulling Tamsin's hands away from her neck, and holding them in her own as she examined the bruises.

"He's got a tight grip," the valkyrie groaned, opening her eyes to glance down at her hands in Bo's.

"So it would appear," Bo said with a light laugh, "You are terrible at telling stories."

"Oh, mock the injured one, why don't you?" Tamsin said, "It's not my fault he didn't let me finish."

"You were staValkubus 9mmering and fumbling." Bo paused. "It was kind of adorable."

"Adorable. Great. And the wringing of my throat?"

"He's… protective to a fault."

"I can see that," Tamsin sighed, flinching as she rolled her shoulders.

* * *

Dyson stood outside of Lauren's apartment, his fist hovering before the white surface of the wooden door, his body shaking with a mix of anger and upset. What if Lauren didn't want to go along with it? Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to ask Lauren to help him take his partner out? Yes, she betrayed him… but—no, she betrayed Bo. And that alone was enough for him… it'd be enough for the good doctor as well, this he knew. So, with a quick intake of breath and a renewed flare of anger, he rapped his knuckles against the door—once, twice—the handle on the door twisted, and slowly, the white, wooden surface was pulled aside.

* * *

The two sat quietly for perhaps another minute, neither choosing to make any comments on their joined hands. Tamsin's breathing was just getting back to normal, and she could barely feel the warm, wet substance dribbling down the back of her neck. She had to admit, the wolf, with his sharp claws and large teeth, had managed to make her a bit afraid. She honestly believed that he was going to kill her… hell, she still believed it. The look in his eyes as his nails dug into her neck, as he shoved her skull against the conveniently cushioned backboard, filled her with an overwhelming sense of guilt. She wasn't unfamiliar with the feeling, she'd been trying to drown it for weeks now, but seeing the confusion, the anger… the sadness behind the yellow eyes of his wolf seemed to set the entire weight of her guilt upon her chest.

"I betrayed him," Tamsin whispered, recalling the words he had said to her as his clawed hands threatened to rip her throat out. Bo just barely caught what Tamsin had said, sensing the deep sadness behind the valkyrie's words.

"What? Tamsin, you—"

"Don't pretend it's not true. I gained his trust… I gained your trust, and I would've used it against you." She took a deep, shaky breath. "Had I not…I would've used it against you." Tamsin spoke these words solemnly, her eyes staring idly just past Bo.

"Had you not what?"

"What?" Tamsin turned her gaze back to Bo, "No—just forget about it." Bo thought to continue, but there was something about the sudden hardness on Tamsin's face that made her decide against it. Tamsin seemed to be thinking about something, her eyes scanning Bo's. "So, what's the verdict?" She asked after a few long seconds.

"Wha—?" Bo gave Tamsin a confused look. She had to admit, the woman could jump back quick. There was no longer any trace of the sincerity or hardness she'd seen before, they had been utterly and completely replaced by a light smile.

"Am I going to die?" She asked jokingly.

"Wha—oh! No," Bo laughed, "No, you're not going to die."

"That's good," Tamsin said, her smile broadening.

"Couple of cracked ribs on your left side," She sighed, nodding to the purpled bruises.

"Is that what that is? Damn, that shit hurts more than it usually does," She said, glancing down at her bare stomach. She grimaced slightly at the sight.

"It's 'cus you're old," Bo stated.

Tamsin shot her a mockingly angry look, waiting a few seconds before letting her smile show.

"I must say, however. You look damn good for an old hag."

Tamsin pulled a hand free from Bo's, using it to weakly shove the succubus aside playfully. "Well, I certainly do look better than you."

"Oh?" Bo said, raising an eyebrow amusedly, "Is that so?"

"I speak the truth, succubus."

"I won't argue with you about your skewed view of beauty while you're injured… but don't think this is over," Bo smirked.

"Good," Tamsin sighed, slamming her eyes shut against the pain the shot through her body at the light breath. "You think you could hand me a rag?"

"Why? You alright?" Bo asked scanning the visible lacerations over Tamsin's body to make sure they weren't bleeding through.

"Fine, it's just…well, Dyson's big ass claws kinda—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Bo had already taken a rag, dampened it in the nearby bowl of water, and leaned forward, pulling Tamsin closer to her for her to begin examining the valkyrie's neck. "Ouch…" She breathed, laying eyes on the eight individual puncture wounds split evenly on either side of the back of Tamsin's neck.

"It's not that bad, the blood's just kind of uncomfortable—you know?"

Bo pressed the rag to the back of Tamsin's neck, gently wiping at the blood dribbling down to Tamsin's back.

* * *

"Dyson?" Lauren asked, pulling the door back and stepping aside for him to enter. He looked angry, his 'inner wolf' practically consuming the space around him. "Something wrong?" She reached a careful hand out, slowly resting it on his shoulder.

"I need your help, Lauren," he said, struggling to contain his anger. "Bo needs your help."

* * *

Tamsin sat quietly staring up at the ceiling, her mind slowly repeating the events that had occurred since the first attack. She was so screwed, and she knew it. She couldn't think of a way out of the current predicament, which bothered her more than she was willing to let on. What she wanted to know, rather, was why they hadn't tried to take Bo yet. Were they waiting until she was out of the way? Take the traitor out first, then go after the target. Tamsin sighed, frustrated at the evident lack of answers she had.

* * *

"She betrayed us all!" Dyson aggressively stated, slamming his fist against the wall.

"And Bo trusts her whole-heartedly," Lauren added, slowly approaching him.

"I don't know what to do. I already tried ripping her throat out," he said angrily.

"And what happened?" Lauren placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Bo happened."

"Figured as much. She's blinded by her trust for Tamsin… so much so that not even you or I could break through. She loves us, and she trusts her more."

"What does that say about us?"

"It doesn't say anything about us. If anything, it says that Tamsin has manipulated Bo—somehow she's managed to turn Bo against us."

"But why not Kenzi?" Dyson asked, turning to face Lauren, "Why did she not turn Bo against Kenzi?"

"Not even you or I on our best days, could turn Bo against Kenzi."

Dyson nodded slowly. "What do we do now?"

Lauren locked eyes with Dyson, an unusual calm expression on her face. She spoke nonchalantly with no sign of hesitation in her voice, "We take her out of the picture."

* * *

Bo had gone downstairs to get Tamsin some food and something to drink. She'd been gone for only a couple of minutes, but Tamsin was getting restless. This sitting around in bed thing really wasn't her style. It made her feel weak. Just then, an alert from her found sounded, shattering through her rather intense and silent train of thought. She reached over to where Bo had set it down at some point during her sleep, and picked it up, pulling it closer to her. She pressed the power button, swiped the 'unlock' icon on the screen. "Dyson," she breathed, reading the text on her screen.

_'We need to talk,' _it read, followed by, _'meet me at the warehouse ASAP.'_

"The warehouse?" Tamsin questioned, trying to remember a time he had been to a warehouse with Dyson. And then she remembered, a case the two of them had worked on involved a gang shoot out at a warehouse just outside of town. "Why would he want to meet there?" She asked aloud, dropping her hand and the phone down to her sides.

* * *

"I sent it," Dyson said as he slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"You sure she got it?" Lauren asked. She was seated on her couch, staring blankly up at the white ceiling.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see… now, about this assassin. How do we contact him?"

A sly smile began to make its way onto her face, "He gave me his number."

"So, let me get this straight. You met him outside of Bo's place and he just gave you his number?"

"Well, it took some convincing, he had a knife to my throat for a solid minute. But…I told him that going after her while Bo was around was a suicide mission—I promised him that I had a better way."

"What was your plan, then?"

"I'd find a way to get her alone. I actually had meant to contact you—I just wasn't sure how you'd react to me wanting your partner dead."

"Yeah, well, she's not my partner anymore."

"Oh?"

"She was lying to us from the start—she was after Bo the whole time." He paused, recomposing himself before continuing. "Tamsin's my enemy… and she won't survive the night."

* * *

"Say, when exactly did I change shirts?" Tamsin asked, glancing her torso over.

"Erm—Well, Kenzi and I sort of… changed you."

Tamsin seemed to consider this for a second before a familiar smirk appeared on her face. "Kinky."

Bo couldn't help but smile at the remark, eyeing Tamsin curiously. She just couldn't place her… she was so hot and cold, flirty and sarcastic one moment, then cold and hard the next. And then there was that time in the bathtub… when Tamsin stood before her completely open, or at least, that's what Bo had felt. It was as if the blonde had come undone before her very eyes, and then quickly pulled herself back together. "Yeah…"

"What is it?" Tamsin asked, noting the distant look in Bo's eyes.

"Uh—nothing. How are you feeling?" Bo asked. Tamsin had shifted a couple of times in the previous few minutes, flinching with each movement, though she desperately tried to hide it.

"Fine."

"Lauren said you might need some pain pills—d-do you want some?"

Tamsin shook her head solemnly. "They won't work."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a valkyrie."

Bo waited for Tamsin to continue, but it didn't seem like she had any plan to. "And?" Bo finally asked.

"Right. Baby fae. Um—well, valkyries are a bit tougher to poison or medicate… it takes a shit load of alcohol to get us drunk, and it takes some A-grade poison to take us down, which is pretty good on most days—"

"But normal pills aren't enough to really do anything for you," Bo finished.

"Right."

"Well, maybe Trick has something that can help?"

"Bo… you really don't have to—"

"I want to. I can tell that you're in pain, and I feel useless just sitting by—"

"You're not useless."

Bo met Tamsin's gaze, a light smile on her face. "I'm gonna call Trick," Bo said, after a few long moments of staring deeply into the light-green colour of Tamsin's gentle eyes, "See if he has anything."

"Alright," Tamsin finally said, conceding defeat.

* * *

"No movement on the trace?"

"Not yet."

Lauren stood leaning against the far wall of the warehouse, patiently watching Dyson pace back and forth in front of her, mumbling something about betrayal and what she assumed to be _his_ wolf, which generally meant he was pissed. "How long do you plan to wait here?" She asked.

"Until she comes," Dyson snapped back, continuing his pace.

"We don't even know if she got the message."

"She got it. She always has her phone on her."

"What if she brings Bo?"

Dyson stopped his pacing and turned to face Lauren. "She's smarter than that," he said, his eyes falling to the ground as he considered the question, "She knows that Bo's pissed at me right now… bringing Bo would only cause unnecessary trouble." He turned on his heel. "She's smarter than that," he murmured and began to pace again, his steps growing a bit more aggressive as the thought of Tamsin bringing Bo settled in.

"I certainly hope you're right."

* * *

Bo arrived at the Dal just as the sun was beginning to set. She had called Trick asking for valkyrie-strength drugs, which, not surprisingly, he claimed to have. So, after making sure Tamsin had everything she needed, Bo ran out of the house and off toward the Dal.

She walked into the bar, ignoring the numerous patrons that roamed the joint, and making a B-line to the back room.

"Bobo!" Kenzi said, greeting her best friend as she entered the small room.

"Hey, Kenz… you been here all day?"

"Pretty much." She bowed her head. "Had a little spat with Lauren, earlier—"

"What kind of spat? Is she okay?"

Kenzi raised her gaze to rest her icy-blue eyes on Bo's brown ones. "The telling off kind. She had the gall to come here and try and sway Trickster over here to her side."

"What side would that be?" Bo asked, glancing down at her now fumbling hands. She knew very well what side that was, but she honestly wasn't willing to admit it, let alone say it aloud.

"The anti-Tamsin side. She came bearing a gift… a case file—the coma dark fae's file."

Bo cast a glance over at Trick, who simply nodded.

"No worries, I kicked her ass out."

"This has all gotten way out of hand," Bo said, slumping down into a seat beside Kenzi on the couch.

"What do you mean, babe?"

"First Lauren, now Dyson—"

"Dyson?" Trick asked, approaching his granddaughter.

"Yeah, I asked him over to help protect Tamsin."

"And what happened?"

Bo sighed. "She started to explain everything, but he didn't let her finish. Right after he confirmed that I had been her—well, target—he dove across the bed and practically tried to rip her throat out."

"What!?" Kenzi asked, jumping up to her feet.

"He would have killed her, I think…"

"Why didn't he?" Trick asked.

"I… well, I… I stopped him."

"You stopped the wolf man?" Kenzi asked, falling back into her seat, a mesmerized look on her face.

"I just… I got so angry, and then—I don't know—I just shoved him off of her."

"Shoved?" Trick looked curious.

"More like threw."

"You threw Dyson off of Tamsin?" Kenzi asked.

"Yeah. One minute I couldn't move him at all, the next, he was on the other side of the room."

"And Lauren, she's concerned about Tamsin's motives?" Tricked asked.

"She doesn't trust Tamsin. She thinks that she has no other intention but to harm me."

"A noble thought—"

"A misguided one," Kenzi interrupted, casting a sharp glance towards Trick.

"Right."

"I filled Trickster here in on all the gory details."

"And?" Bo asked, looking towards her grandfather with eager anticipation.

"And I think you're right in trusting Tamsin. She seems to have put her neck on the line to keep you out of harm's way."

"Good. I'm so glad you think that!" Bo said, jumping up from her seat and running over to embrace her grandfather. "But I have to get back to Tamsin," She said, stepping out of the hug.

"Of course," Trick said, turning on his heel to walk over to his desk where a small vial of blue liquid sat, "this should do."

"What exactly should it do?" Bo asked, glancing curiously at the vial.

Trick lifted it and held it out for Bo to take. "It'll help with the pain, take the edge off of things. After a bit, she'll be out cold, though."

"Wow, powerful stuff. Wait, but our sleeping pills worked earlier—"

"Tamsin was wiped out, man. She could hardly keep her eyes open while you were downstairs fighting off ninja guy," Kenzi answered.

"The pills probably just added that final drop necessary to throw her into a deep sleep," Trick answered, dropping the vial into Bo's outstretched hand, "Just don't drink this. It'll likely kill Kenzi, and knock you out for at least a week."

"Shit," Kenzi said, staring wide eyed at the vial.

"Okay. So, she just drinks it?"

"Straight out of the vial."

"Thanks Trick, it means a lot that you always come through for me."

"Hey, what's family for?"

Bo smiled at him before turning to face Kenzi. "C'mon," she said, "let's go home."

Kenzi jumped up from her seat and ran after Bo who had quickly exited the room. "Bye gramps!" She yelled as she disappeared through the door and up the stairs.

"Jumpy bunch," Trick murmured.

* * *

"Where's your friend?" Dyson asked, still aggressively pacing to and fro.

"Around. He's hiding," Lauren answered, pushing herself off of the wall that she had been leaning on for the past thirty minutes. "You're certain she'll come?"

"He's certain."

Lauren and Dyson both turned to face the sudden interrupting voice, similar smiles forming on their faces as the blonde valkyrie came into sight. "Tamsin, so nice of you to join us," Lauren said.

Tamsin couldn't shake how dark this scene seemed to her. The moment she set eyes on Lauren, every screaming suspicion that she had of this being a trap was confirmed. "Shit," she breathed.

"What's wrong Tams?" Dyson asked, slowly beginning to take steps towards Tamsin, who stood supporting herself against the large entrance to the warehouse. There were a number of towering shelves on either side of the great room, large boxes upon them. The room was roughly the length of a football field, and Lauren stood in the back, her dark and heavy gaze fixed on Tamsin. Dyson was closer, he had been pacing somewhere in the middle of the room.

"What's going on Dyson?" She asked, her voice shaking a bit. She couldn't help it, she knew she wasn't strong enough to fight him off… and there was something about the satisfied look on the doctor's face that unsettled her. She hadn't known Lauren to be particularly dark, but in this moment, she could practically feel it dripping off of her. This was a trap and there was no running from it.

"Well you see, this is what I'd like to call an intervention." He continued his slow walk towards her, the yellow of his wolf eyes glinting in the low moonlight that had just recently enveloped the darkened scene.

"Dyson, partner, if we could just talk—"

"No talking," he said. He was now very close to her with only a few feet of growing tension separating the two of them.

"Dyson—"

"No talking!" Tamsin could hear the growl in his voice, the cracking of bone as he disappeared into a large, black shadow cast from one of the shelves to her right. She stumbled back, fearing what was to come next, losing her grip on the door and falling to the ground with a heavy thud.

She yelped as pain erupted in her body, slamming her eyes shut at the sight of a mess of fur accompanying Dyson's growls soared over her sprawled out frame. The wolf landed behind her and she struggled to climb to her feet, but something heavy forced her back down. A metal-framed boot was pressed roughly against her shoulder, pushing her down into the dirt. She looked up only to meet the cold black eyes of a large, bearded brunette man, a deep red scar etched diagonally across his grim face. "Shit."

**(A/N) *Sly smile***

**Also, thanks to The Unaligned for suggesting a few plot-points and throwing out the "valkyrie-strength" medication. **


	10. Dyson

"Tamsin!?" Bo yelled out, running down the stairs. She stopped when she saw Kenzi, phone in hand and a look of hopelessness on her face.

"She's not here, Bo." Kenzi gestured with her phone in hand. "Dyson's not—Lauren's not… they're not answering."

"Where the hell would she run off to?" Bo asked, running a frustrated hand through her hair.

"I don't know. This is all some very fucked up shit. Like monumentally fucked up!" She took a deep breath, continuing in a calmer tone. "How exactly did everything go to hell in the span of one day?"

"I've pretty much come to expect it," Bo stated as she began to approach Kenzi, "Stay here, just in case Tamsin—or anybody—comes back."

"I can help you—"

"I need someone here. Something might go wrong, and someone needs to know what's going on."

Kenzi nodded slowly. "What are you gonna do?" She asked solemnly.

"Go to the cop-shop, see if I can't get one of the boys over there to get me a trace on Tamsin's phone," Bo said, flashing a confident smile in Kenzi's direction as she strode over to the door.

"Be careful, Bo. When you find her—just be careful."

"I'm always careful," Bo said, opening the door and turning to face Kenzi one last time, "but I'll be extra careful this time. Don't worry, okay?"

"I never worry."

"Right." Bo walked out of the house, slowly closing the door behind her. "Shit, Tamsin…" She breathed once she was clear of the house.

* * *

_"No talking!" Tamsin could hear the growl in his voice, the cracking of bone as he disappeared into a large, black shadow cast from one of the shelves to her right. She stumbled back, fearing what was to come next, losing her grip on the door and falling to the ground with a heavy thud. _

_She yelped as pain erupted in her body, slamming her eyes shut at the sight of a mess of fur accompanying Dyson's growls soared over her sprawled out frame. The wolf landed behind her and she struggled to climb to her feet, but something heavy stopped her. A metal-framed boot was pressed roughly against her shoulder, pushing her down into the dirt. She looked up only to meet the cold black eyes of a large, bearded brunette man, a deep red scar etched diagonally across his grim face. "Shit."_

Tamsin brought her right arm around, a slim, sharp blade dramatically ripping through the leather of her jacket's sleeve and imbedding itself deep into the large brunette man's leg. He yelled out, releasing enough pressure on the valkyrie's shoulder for her to pull herself out from beneath him. With some effort, she managed to get to her knees, shoving herself up and onto her feet. She staggered backwards, weakly raising her fisted hands in a feeble attempt to keep up a strong exterior.

She was facing the large dirty-white wolf, watching somewhat awe-struck as it rose to its hind legs and its shoulders began to flex and roll, growing in size and width with the audible sound of cracking bone. Its ribs shook and trembled as they forced themselves outward, the fur seemingly melting into the peach coloured skin as it stretched into a shape suitable to encompass the entirety of the growing skeleton beneath it. The wolf's nose began to crumple back, the sound of the bone and cartilage breaking into its new form filling Tamsin's ears. Had she not heard it a thousand times before, she might've been inclined to look away, but she didn't. She watched the thick, pointed teeth of the wolf fill the mouth of a man she'd come to love in a brotherly sort of way. His jaw dropped as he bared his teeth and let out a heavy roaring snarl that echoed throughout the metal warehouse and reverberated through Tamsin's body.

"Dyson," she pleaded just as a great, heavy force met the side of her face, flinging her to the ground. Her vision blurred and there was a high pitched ringing in her ears that filled her mind with a numbing fog. Her body had been overcome with immense pain as her ribs came into contact with the hard ground and the fresh gash on her pale cheek splattered her thick, red blood across the sandy dirt surface that stretched out before her.

For what seemed an eternity over she couldn't move, but finally her body began to tremble as the feeling came rushing back to her, cleaving its way through the foggy mist in her mind and clearing her vision. But by then it was too late. Dyson reached down, lifting her up by the collar of her grey leather jacket and shoving her against the ridged metal wall of the warehouse exterior. She let out a short cry of pain as her shoulder blades made contact with the rough surface behind her, quickly forcing the pain aside so that she could face the wolf.

She wasn't sure if she looked afraid, pissed, or sorry… but Dyson's fist rose and lunged forward, only to stop mere inches away from her jaw as his eyes met hers. They seemed to be searching for something within her, so she remained still, fighting to keep her breath under control. After a long moment, he took the fist intended to inflict pain on her face and instead used it to add an extra grip to her collar, pushing her harder against the warehouse wall. His gaze was still locked onto hers and despite the pain, she dared not look away. Something about the growing gentleness in his eyes told her that his sense was returning.

"Speak," he snarled, his fists tightening around the stretching leather of her jacket collar.

"What?" She asked, raising her hands to grab hold of his wrists, supporting her own weight against them to release the pressure of her jacket on her arms.

"You said you wanted to talk, so talk."

"Dyson, I-I know you think I betrayed you, but—"

"You betrayed Bo, Tamsin."

"I know it's hard for you to see, but I didn't turn her in! I ignored the call… hence the broken ribs," She rasped, tightening her grip on his wrists, grimacing at the pain coursing through her body.

Dyson seemed to be searching again. Tamsin couldn't tell if he was trying to determine if she was telling the truth, or otherwise… but she didn't have much time to think about it, for in the short moment that it took for the thought to pass through her mind, Dyson had been tossed aside and his spot was quickly replaced by the towering brunette assassin. "Enough talking," he spoke in a deep, choked voice.

* * *

Bo glided over to where a young and naïve looking officer sat. She'd never seen him before, which made him the perfect target. Glancing around the office one last time to assure that Dyson wasn't around, she tapped the officer on the shoulder.

"May I—" he began, his words caught in his throat at the sight of Bo batting her eyes at him, "h-help you?"

"Actually, yes," Bo said, reaching down and beginning to run her thumb along the back of his hand. Gentle waves of heat passed from her hand to his. "I need you to trace a phone for me… think you can do that?"

"C-certainly," he stuttered, slowly and reluctantly turning to face the computer, "what's the number?"

She reached over his shoulder, flaunting a ripped strip of paper in front of his face. He took it, glanced it over, and then began to type the numbers as they were written on the paper.

"Alright," he said, "this should take a minute." He paused, scanning something over on the computer screen. "Seems like somebody else already put a trace on this number. If we just tap into that…"

"Can you tell who?" Bo asked, leaning closer to the computer screen.

"Detective Thornwood, ma'am."

"Dyson…" Bo glanced at him. "Ma'am?" She asked, an angry edge to her voice.

"Sorry… miss," he corrected, tensing slightly.

"Better, I suppose." She turned her attention back to the computer screen. "Anything yet?"

"Oh—yeah." He scrolled down on the screen and then enthusiastically pressed his finger atop a map that appeared on the screen. "That's out in the warehouse district…"

"Building…" Bo scanned the map over, a bit shocked at her extensive knowledge of the multiple sketchy districts in town, "thirteen."

"There you go!"

"Thanks—um…"

"Dave."

"Well, thanks Dave. It really means a lot—"

"Do you think we could, maybe—" he blurted out.

"Woah, stop right there. I'm…" she thought this over for a second before continuing with, "I'm taken."

"Oh…" His eyes dropped to the ground, his expression suddenly saddened.

"Sorry, Dave." Bo took one last glance at the map on the screen, patted Dave on the shoulder and then made her exit.

* * *

Kenzi jumped as the loud ringing of her phone filled her ears. She took the phone in hand, tapped the green 'answer' button, and lifted the phone up to her ear. "Bobo?" she asked, "Find anything out?"

"Actually, yeah. Turns out Dyson put a trace on Tamsin's phone earlier today… now she's out in the warehouse district."

"What the hell is she doing there?"

"Probably getting the shit kicked out of her injured ass—dammit! God she's so stubborn, sometimes!" Bo yelled. A loud screeching noise could be heard and Kenzi could tell Bo was panicking.

"Calm down, babe. Don't get yourself killed before you even get there, okay?"

Kenzi could hear a light laugh on the other end. "I promise."

"Good."

"I just called to tell you where everything would be going down… you know, in case something happens."

"Something like you kicking everyone's ass and dragging that valkyrie back home?"

"Yeah, something like that Kenz."

"Alright. Well, I know. Now hurry up. Save the day and come home—with our stubborn little valkyrie."

"Will do, babe. Bye. I love you."

"Love you, too." The line went dead, and Kenzi slowly lowered the phone from her ear. Though she had all the faith in the world that her friend would bring Tamsin back alive, she couldn't help but feel nervous for both of them.

* * *

Tamsin had been dropped to the ground once Dyson was dispatched. Struggling to keep her upright position, she looked up into the fae's eyes, deeply unsettled by the lack of emotion held there. That was her, once. The blackness that bound his soul had once held hers in the same suffocating grip… and she suddenly felt sympathy for the man who no-doubt intended to rip her heart out. But she knew there was no use pleading with him… he was lost to the world, a shell consumed by His darkness. With this thought in mind, Tamsin threw a weighty fist forward, hurtling it towards the thuggish looking assassin's face. She was disappointed, though not at all surprised, when he side stepped the blow and caught her jaw in an upper cut. She stumbled back into the wall, wiping at the blood that began to dribble down her chin from the meeting of her clenched teeth and her tongue.

"That all you got?" She taunted, stealing a quick glance over to where Dyson had been tossed. He was slowly rising to his feet, angrily shaking his head. Tamsin almost smiled at how dog-like Dyson was acting, but decided that the current moment was best spent defending herself. Turning her attention back to her opponent, she quickly ducked beneath his next blow, which seemed fueled by anger at her comment, but just as his fist passed over her head, his knee had risen into her chin. "Fuck, dude!" She yelled, yet again wiping away at the blood that trickled down her pale skin.

Rage beginning to gnaw at her, she threw herself at the assassin, tackling him to the ground. She straddled him, slipping a jagged-edged knife from the inside strap of her leather jacket and pressing it against his neck. "You have one chance," she spoke in a breathy, but commanding voice.

"And you have none." Before Tamsin could even register what had happened, the man's large hand took hold of her left side, tightening around her ribs. She cried out, dropping the blade as he switched their positions and pinned her to the ground. His hand was still pressed roughly against her ribcage, pain ripping through her shaking body. It was searing... consuming, and she was vaguely aware of the screams that tore from her throat, of her hands desperately and unconsciously clawing at the man's bearded face, but none of it was enough to pull her away from the pain. The colours in her vision began to blur together, the sounds of Dyson's far off screams growing ever-more distant with every second of burning pain that pulsed through her body. And then there was a loud, high pitched sound that overpowered the remaining sounds about it.

Tamsin couldn't tell what it was, where it had come from, or if it even existed, but a few seconds later, there was a yell of some sort, and the tight, piercing grip on her ribs was suddenly released with a forceful yank that sent another wave of agonizing pain through the valkyrie's spent body. She could feel herself shaking and trembling against the pain as she desperately tried to force it aside and push herself up onto her knees. She barely managed to roll onto her side when a she was pushed back down with a gentleness that she wasn't prepared for.

"Tamsin!" Came a loud, panicked yell that shattered through the groggily received noises in Tamsin's ears. "Open your damn eyes! C'mon!" The voice pleaded. Tamsin could feel strong hands pressed against her shoulders.

"B-Bo?" Tamsin croaked, her eyes gradually opening as the pain became more manageable.

"Thank God," Bo breathed, her body relaxing a bit.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass… obviously." Bo scanned Tamsin's body for fresh injuries, frowning at the state the valkyrie seemed to be in.

"I'm fine," Tamsin coughed, using Bo's arm to drag her body into a sitting position. She rolled her eyes as Bo placed a hand between the blonde's shoulder blades and supported her in the action.

"From the writhing and the screaming I witnessed thirty seconds ago, I'd have to disagree."

Tamsin knew Bo was right, she felt weak… tired. "What happened to captain ass-hole?" Tamsin asked, choosing to change the subject and glance around the warehouse's exterior.

"Crap," Bo answered, "forgot about him." She rose to her feet, assuring Tamsin could support her own mildly upright position beforehand, facing the large brunette assassin. Upon her arrival, she had literally tossed him aside with a strength she wasn't aware she had. At the time, the thought had been pushed aside, but now she was fully aware of the fact that it was both incredibly cool and means for a very pissed off fae assassin.

"Bo," Tamsin choked, feebly trying to push herself back onto her feet. She stopped, however, when Bo's disapproving gaze met hers, and let herself fall back down.

"I've got this," Bo stated, her eyes never leaving the assassin, "Just rest."

Tamsin wanted to reply, but before she could think of something to say, Bo was charging the large brunette man. She watched rather impressed as Bo sidestepped the assassin's first blow, reaching a quick hand out and gripping his messy long hair, which assisted in her bringing the man's head down to her knee. She released her grip on him and stepped backwards as he shook off the headache the succubus no doubt caused him.

"No interfering succubus," he commanded, straightening himself out.

"Oh, haven't you heard? Interfering is what I do." With that, Bo lunged a fist at the assassin's head. It missed, but it appeared that was what she expected, for the instant his body leaned forward to dodge the blow, he was slammed in the chin by an uppercut from her left hand. He quickly recovered though, chucking his own fist at her face. This she didn't expect, which was made obvious with her being hit squarely across the jaw and sent crashing to the ground. The assassin took this opportunity to assault her with a number of heavy blows, a few of which she managed to roll out of the way of, but one made contact with her face.

"Hey, jackass!" Came a sudden yell, calling the attention of both parties in the fight. "I'm over here. It's me you want dead."

A sly smile crossed his face as he, without taking his eyes off of his target—Tamsin, threw one more direct punch to Bo's face, knocking her into a light daze. He stepped away from Bo, slowly beginning his approach towards the weak valkyrie.

Tamsin used all of her remaining strength to push herself up onto her feet, having no support meant having to real upper hand. She had dispensed of all of her weapons, cursing the fact that she had only brought two blades. What the hell kind of backup plan was that? Ignoring her newfound sense of self hatred, she glanced over at where Dyson stood. He hadn't moved since she last saw him, though he had stopped shaking his head. Now he remained terrifyingly still, a far off look in his confused and fearful eyes. What was he doing? "Dyson!" Tamsin yelled, hoping against hope that he was over his wanting to kill her phase. Or rather, hoping that it was, in fact, a phase.

She began to stumble backwards, painfully aware of how little damage she was capable doing in her current state, and even more painfully aware of how much more damage her opponent could do to her. The assassin came at her with her own knife, which he had lifted from the ground on his way to meet her. She was barely able to dodge, feeling the air the knife had disturbed against the side of her neck as she stepped aside. The large man quickly didn't even bother to pause and recover, instead he brought his outstretched arm around, catching Tamsin on the side of her head with his forearm. The force was enough to send the valkyrie tumbling to the ground, where she yelled out in pain as she pushed herself up with her tired arms.

Out of the corner of her eye she just barely caught the sight of the silver tip of the blade gliding through the air, preparing to cleave through the flesh on her side. Quickly, from her position on her hands and knees, she yanked her own body out of the way of the blade, slamming her back hard against the ground. Again, she let out a sharp yell as pain filled her body, but there was no time to recover, as, again, the knife hovered momentarily above the assassin's head, and then took the plunge towards her gut. But she had nowhere to run. Immediately after she had rolled onto her back, the man stood above her, one foot on either side of her thing frame. She didn't have the strength or the speed to push herself out, so instead she reached up and wrapped her hands around his wrists, wrestling against his strength as he slowly pushed the knife closer to the lower part of her sternum.

One last try, she thought as she let out the most pathetic and pleading cry for help that she could muster. "Dyson!" The echoing scream seemed to settle a silence upon the scene, well, with exception of the struggle with the knife. The tip of the blade had just made contact with skin, easily breaking it and shakily delving deeper into her pale flesh. She wanted to scream, but she simply couldn't take her attention off of the battle at hand. Her arms were growing tired, her strength leaving her, and though she could hear Bo rising and yelling somewhere off in the distance, she wasn't certain that she'd be able to fight the assassin off for much longer.

The blade kept pushing, a broad smirk engulfing the struggling expression on the large man's face. Just as she could feel blood begin to trickle out of the small slit, just as the warm liquid began to stain a darker colour on the black cloth of the button up shirt that she wore, the force that she had been struggling against, the strength of the man who stood towering above her, suddenly vanished. With a heavy release of breath, she dropped both her arms and the knife, which roughly collapsed onto her chest, and clenched her eyes shut as she caught her breath.

After a few long seconds of simply breathing, Tamsin opened her eyes to meet the warm gaze of her partner, his claws slowly retracting back into his hands, and the tips of his fingers dripping with blood. She glanced down at the large body of the man who had been sent to kill her. He laid sprawled out on the cold, dirt covered floor, the light of the rising moon reflecting off of the dark and gushing pool of blood that spilled over the entirety of his back and formed a small puddle on the surface below him. Beside him was a still heart, presumably his own, which, according to the blood dripping down the wolf's hand, was ripped from his chest mere moments ago by Dyson. "Dyson…" she breathed, her eyes now locked onto his. He looked so sad, it almost made her want to leap up and pull him into a comforting embrace, but she doubted herself truly capable of that at the moment, and she wasn't quite sure if he had returned to his regular state of mind, if that at all remained.

"Dyson, what are you doing?" Bo asked, slowly approaching him from behind. She had watched the whole scene unfold, heard Tamsin's cry for help… seen him appear from seemingly nowhere and thrust his clawed hand into the assassin's chest. She wasn't going to deny that, in that instant, she was overcome with a feeling of happiness, but that was quickly pushed aside when she recalled how angry Dyson had been previously. Hadn't he called Tamsin here to kill her? What was he doing?

"Bo," he said breathily, his voice shaking a bit, "What have I done?" His eyes were still on Tamsin's. That was when realization hit her. That was when she understood everything. Things were a lot worse than she had originally expected, which was not something she thought to be possible.

"Shit."

**A/N: Well, there's that. I felt like getting a bit more descriptive with this one, apparently. Stuff happens, and if you expect to complain about characteristics, hold it until like... next chapter. Yeah. **


	11. Lauren

"Where'd Lauren go?" Tamsin asked, glancing toward the end of the warehouse. She was still on the dirt covered ground, her back now leaning against Bo's chest as the succubus held her upright.

Dyson and Bo both followed Tamsin's gaze to the end of the warehouse, which stood still and empty in the early nighttime darkness. "Lauren was here?" Bo asked, a twinge of sadness to her tone. Her grip on Tamsin tightened. "This just isn't like her…" she murmured.

Tamsin groaned, letting her head fall back against the brunette's shoulder and slamming her eyes shut as she waited for the wave of pain to pass. Bo reactively took Tamsin's hand into her own, pushing heated waves of her 'charm' into the blonde, who immediately relaxed in the succubus' embrace.

"You alright?" Bo asked, concerned.

"Better now." Tamsin opened her eyes, resting them on Bo, her head still set back against the brunette's shoulder. "Thanks." She paused, scanning Bo's expression before rolling her head and turning her gaze towards Dyson. He knelt down beside her, trying his best to convey his guilt through his expression. They had yet to really delve into his sudden change in attitude, but he felt the conversation was to come soon. There was a sort of anxiety set upon him surrounding the subject, he wasn't really sure what to say.

"Tamsin, I—" He began.

Tamsin feebly held up a single hand to silence her partner, lightly shaking her head. "I know."

"You do?"

"I didn't understand, at first… had Bo maybe mentioned Dr. Let's-kill-the-sexy-blonde-detective _before _I decided to come out here and get the shit beaten out of me, then perhaps I wouldn't have come at all."

"Why _did_ you come?" Dyson asked. "You knew this was a trap."

"I came because I thought that, with some wicked luck, I could convince you to let me tell you the whole story. Or, at least, I would finally be done with all of this…" She trailed off, her gaze moving back to Bo.

"What?" Dyson asked.

"Be done with all of this guilt," Tamsin answered solemnly.

"No," Bo said, squeezing Tamsin's hand, a light wave of her charm still washing through the blonde, "none of this is your fault."

"Let's not talk about this," Tamsin responded quickly, "we have bigger problems than my emotional state, in case you haven't noticed."

"You mean the assassins? We can handle—"

"Not the assassins." Tamsin paused, taking a moment to truly consider the situation. "Well, yes the assassins. But there's more than that."

"You mean your boss?" Bo asked. Tamsin could see a hesitation in her eyes, as if she knew where the valkyrie was planning to go with the conversation at hand, but desperately hoped she wouldn't. The pure emotion behind the succubus' brown pools was almost enough to silence her, but Bo had to know. She had to tell her.

"No. I mean Lauren," Tamsin said, a knowing gentleness to her tone. "Dyson. Everyone, really."

"I… I don't understand. I mean, Lauren's not—"

"Like I said before, I didn't understand at first—I didn't see the signs… not until today, with Dyson."

"What do you mean?" Dyson asked.

"The way you first snapped… it was so—I don't know—sudden. One moment you were happy with the sexy beast that is me, the next you had your hands around my throat. And then here, earlier, you were about to partake in some valkyrie-beating, but you stopped—"

"I just looked into your eyes… and suddenly all of my anger just started to—"

"Melt away. I know, no need to get all sappy."

"You do?"

Tamsin nodded. "I should've seen it, I don't know why I didn't, but… it's an ability."

"Ability?" Bo asked. "As in… a fae ability?"

"Exactly that." Tamsin swallowed, taking in a deep and steady breath before continuing. "I've only heard of the power, I don't have a name to go with it, but it's something like a valkyrie's doubt, except it's… it's more like the user is planting a will into the mind of their victim. In this case, the will is to kill… me."

"Well, if that's true that must mean that Lauren is under this—whatever's—ability. Dyson shook it off, so maybe…"

"Bo," Tamsin said, her voice laced with a weariness that commanded the attention of all who heard it, as she let her head drop forward, "Dyson's fae."

"A-and?" Bo prompts. Tamsin could hear the growing fear behind her tone, but beyond that was a demand for more. Bo wouldn't settle until she had her answers.

"We're stronger than humans, our minds are capable of handling much more prodding… Dyson's loyalty to me, our friendship, combined with the fae inside of him. That's why he was able to break through. "

"And Lauren…" Dyson said, catching on, "Lauren doesn't… she and you don't have a bond."

"And she's human." Tamsin raised her head.

"She's stronger than she looks," Bo stated, a pleading look in her as eyes as she glanced between the two detectives.

"Let's hope her strength is enough, then," Tamsin muttered.

"What if—"

"Bo, I don't know much else. I don't have the answers," Tamsin declared, a tiredness to her voice that Bo had only just noticed.

"Right," Bo breathed, realizing Tamsin needed her attention at the moment. There wasn't anything she could do about Lauren at the moment. "I'll call Trick later… maybe he knows something more."

"Mm," Tamsin agreed meekly, going back to letting her head rest against Bo's shoulder.

Bo glanced up at Dyson, her concern for the valkyrie reflected on her face. "It's getting cold," she said, "we need to get Tamsin back inside."

"I'm right here," Tamsin noted, "And a little cold won't kill me."

"You plan on driving back?" Bo asked, "You look like shit. The worse-than-before kind."

"Gee, thanks."

"You think you can carry her?" Bo looked back to Dyson.

Dyson nodded. "What about her truck?"

"I'll come by with Kenzi and pick it up tomorrow—"

"Oh, hell no!" Tamsin said, suddenly rather awake.

"We can't just park it here until you're better, and you're not driving it back tonight."

"I don't want you or the half-pint driving my truck—"

"Yeah well, you'll be unconscious, so you won't have much say in the matter."

For the briefest of seconds, Tamsin considered attempting to shove Bo away and crawl to her feet, but the idea was quickly snuffed out as Bo's hand moved from Tamsin's and reached into the pocket of the blonde's leather jacket, her light waves of charm ceasing to pulse through the valkyrie's body and allowing for the pain to return. "Shit," Tamsin gasped. "Ouch!"

"Sorry, forgot," Bo apologized, pulling her hand out from the blonde's jacket pocket, a set of keys in set upon her palm. "You actually fight with your keys in your pocket?"

"I like them close by." Tamsin, giving into her role as the damsel in distress, weakly raised her arm up, lightly waving it at Dyson. "C'mon then, wolf."

Rolling his eyes, Dyson took Tamsin's outstretched arm and wrapped it around his neck, holding it by her wrist in his left hand as he slipped his right hand behind the blonde's back and pulled her closer. "Ready?" He asked, releasing her wrist from his grasp as he prepped himself to lift the valkyrie up.

"Not until you buy me a drink," Tamsin muttered, gripping the shoulder of his shirt.

With a smile, he slipped his arm beneath her knees and slowly lifted the valkyrie up. "After you're all better, you bet," he said.

Bo rose with him, quickly placing her hand on Tamsin's arm, sending red waves of energy through the blonde to relieve any pain the wolf may have been causing her during the lift. "Take her to my car, passenger seat," she instructed, slowly decreasing the intervals of energy she was passing through the valkyrie until, a few long seconds later, she had ceased the soothing gesture all together. With that and a slightly pained smile from Tamsin, Bo walked over to the entrance of the warehouse, scanning the large space for any sign of Lauren. She wasn't sure how long she stared, but she was awoken from her daze when a hand rested on her shoulder.

"We'll find her. We'll figure this out," Dyson's voice sounded behind her, his tone sincere.

"I know we will." Bo turned around to face the wolf. "We have to."

A light smile appeared on Dyson's face, but his eyes betrayed a sadness that Bo knew to be uncertainty.

"Tamsin's settled in. She's still pissed about her truck, but she's resting I think."

"You drove here, right?"

He seemed to think about this for a moment before nodding. "Parked around back."

"Good. Meet you back at my place?"

"Briefly. I'll help you carry Tamsin in, but I'm in desperate need of a drink and I think Trick and I need to have a chat."

"Alright. See you soon, then." Bo began to walk past Dyson.

"Bo, I am sorry."

She stopped. "You have nothing to be sorry for." At that, she continued her tread to her car.

* * *

After the three had arrived back at Bo's place, Tamsin was set on Bo's bed again and Dyson scanned the entirety of the shack, assuring no dangers lurked around any of the corners. Once he was certain the girls would be safe there, he said his goodbyes, made one last attempt at an apology to Tamsin, and then left, headed to the Dal.

Bo entered the bedroom, a glass of iced water in hand. The water had a dark bluish tint to it, a colour that was dimly reflected in the icy droplets that ran down the side of the glass. "Thirsty?" Bo asked, taking a seat beside Tamsin on the bed. The blonde groaned. Her eyes were clenched shut, one hand clutching at the sheets, the other gripping at the shirt cloth that covered her pained ribs. "Here," Bo said, resting her free hand on the valkyrie's forearm, light red waves of energy flowing from her own fingers to the soft, warm skin beneath them.

Tamsin visibly relaxed, the pain quickly devolving into dull, manageable pulses. "That's a neat trick," she said through mildly heavy breaths, her eyes opening to the wooden ceiling that she'd grown somewhat accustomed to. It was odd, in the small amount of time that she'd spent in Bo's room… in her bed, she felt strangely comfortable. She felt at home.

"Yeah, comes in handy sometimes," Bo replied, nodding to Kenzi to help Tamsin lean forward. The girl complied, sliding two hands beneath the blonde's back and gingerly pushing her up into a sitting position. "Water?" Bo asked, one hand still gripping Tamsin's forearm and the other offering the glass to the blonde.

With a hesitant hand, Tamsin reached out, taking the glass and pressing it against her lips. The moment the cool liquid began to trickle down her dry throat, she tilted the glass back further, taking gulps of the icy fluid at a time, desperately attempting to quench the thirst that had been plaguing her for a few long hours. There was a strange taste to the water, something bitter that sort of tingled on her tongue, and burned as it traveled down her throat. Every gulp sent small ripples of pain through her ribs, but as she continued it seemed to fade away into a sort of numbness that slowly, after she handed the empty glass to the suspiciously gleeful succubus, began to consume her. "What the hell are you so happy about?" Tamsin asked as she rested her head back against the pillows.

Bo's gleeful smile only grew larger, which would normally be adorable to Tamsin, but at the current moment, she was just a bit hesitant as to what it meant. There she was, lying in a bed, bruises and broken bones lining her tired body, and the person looking out for her is smiling like she knows some hilarious secret. It was unsettling to Tamsin, who maintained her confused and suspicious gaze until her vision began to blur and her mind became a fog.

"How ya feeling?" Bo asked, leaning closer.

"Shit, Bo." Tamsin struggled to keep her eyes open. "You fucking drugged me."

"I told you why I was going to see Trick," Bo replied, adjusting Tamsin's blankets so that they rested just atop her ribs. "I got some high powered, valkyrie approved blue liquid drug stuff. Figured you wouldn't want to take it, so I took the liberty of slipping it to you."

"You—"

"Oh, don't be pissed. Do you feel any pain?"

Tamsin wearily rolled her eyes.

"I'll take that as a no, which is a good thing. Soon you'll fall asleep—"

"Soon I'll be dragged into unconsciousness, don't you mean?"

"Same difference. Anyways, as I was saying, and you'll be able to rest again. You need it, since you don't seem to enjoy giving your bones and bruises a chance to rest."

"Fuck!" She groaned, feeling the strings of her consciousness falling away one by one. She was growing tired, the fog in her mind consuming her thoughts and actions, the numbness enveloping her body, her eyes growing increasingly heavy with every second that passed.

"Sh," Bo began in a hushed tone, still leaning closer, "'you can't resist it forever, babe… you want to succumb.'"

"Oh, fuck you," Tamsin murmured.

"Maybe later, blondie." At that, Tamsin's eyes finally fell closed, her head bobbing to the side as the darkness of her own inner consciousness enclosed around her. It was clear to both the succubus and the human that she'd been pulled into a deep sleep.

"Well, isn't that shit effective?" Kenzi joked, enthusiastically patting Tamsin's shoulder.

"It would appear so," Bo said. "Let's hope it keeps her down long enough to heal her body a bit."

"From the looks of it, that won't be a problem."

The smile on Bo's face returned as she stood from the bed and nodded towards the door. "Let's go, I need a drink… or ten."

"Let's get drunk, bitches!" Kenzi ran over to the doorway.

"There's only one bitch here, babe, and it surely isn't me."

"Oh, low blow, Succubus. Low blow."

Bo only smiled a mocking smile at Kenzi as she slipped past her and down the stairs.

"And I'm the bitch…" Kenzi mutters, following the succubus to the kitchen.

* * *

Dyson held Trick's sturdy gaze, his hand gripping the cool mug of beer.

"Dyson, this is all very serious," Trick said slowly, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"I'm well aware."

"Bo could be in real danger, here."

"You know where I stand on that one. I will do everything in my power to keep her safe."

"And Tamsin?" The short elderly man asked.

"I trust her," Dyson answered quickly. "But something—or someone—doesn't want me to. I may have been able to break through their hold on me, but—"

"Lauren."

"I'm afraid that she may not be strong enough."

"Bo won't accept that as an answer."

"She may have to."

Trick let his eyes wander over the bar, a nervousness settling upon him. "It's nothing that any of us wants to hear… or wants to accept—"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, old friend."

Trick smiled, nodding lightly at Dyson's remark. "We'll find a way."

Nodding in agreement, Dyson raised the mug to his lips. "We have to."

"For Bo."

"For Bo."

* * *

"You had the perfect opportunity," came a chilling voice that seemed to suck the very warmth from the air. "She was weak. She was broken. She was yours to take!"

"I thought the idea was to make her suffer?"

"Suffer? Ah yes, that was the plan, wasn't it?"

"The battle did her more damage, and soon I'll make my move. She will pay for her betrayal."

"Her betrayal to whom, my dear doctor Lewis?"

Lauren hesitated, shaky thoughts roaming about her frazzled mind. "Betrayal. She betrayed Bo…" There was something so right, yet so incredibly wrong about these words. It wasn't Bo that Tamsin betrayed… no, it was worse than that. She searched around in her scattered thoughts for the answer she knew was there… it had to be there. And then it came to her, like a scream in the darkness that surrounded her, a scream that shattered her eardrums and forced her to look the shadowy, chilling figure in the eyes. "The valkyrie betrayed you, sir."

The coolness in the air seemed to let up a bit, warmth returning to the shadowy realm. "Yes. The valkyrie betrayed me, and by betraying me—"

"She betrayed Bo."

"Because?"

"Because you have nothing but Bo's best interest in mind," Lauren answered, though she wasn't quite sure where the answer had come from. It was rather mechanical, as if it had been placed in her thoughts, and summoned forth from her throat and out of her mouth.

"Very good. So, you have a plan, I assume?" The voice asked. It was a rough voice, deep and thick with a darkness that left all who heard it with a sort of emptiness that they couldn't place. It was both incredibly unnerving and hypnotic.

"That I do. One to free Bo from the clutches of the valkyrie's betrayal." She paused, a tad shocked at the words that were slipping from her mouth, but oddly comfortable with them. This just felt right… though somewhere inside of her she knew that was wrong. "A plan to make the traitor beg for your forgiveness." Though she couldn't see much through the shadowy, musky air that surrounded her, she could practically feel the sickening smile form on the figure's grim face.

"Very good." He raised his bony hand, pushing it through the shadows. A thicker, darker shadow escaped from his palm, circling Lauren, trapping her. When it cleared, she stood in her apartment, a burner in her hand.

**A/N: So, thanks to QuickLookBusy for, and I loosely use the term, 'debating' Lauren with me. It was because of our conversation that I decided to go along with this... thing that I just revealed. I don't know what to call it. **

**So... would another sly smile be appropriate here? I kind of feel like it would be. **


	12. Afraid

**A/N: Ugh! I hate myself for writing this. I just... I hate myself. But it was a necessary evil. Kind of a short setup chapter to all the awesome crap that's about to go down (thanks to TheUnaligned for helping me work that stuff out). Nothing truly significant happens in this chapter, but it mildly lives up to the M rating of the story, and will eventually lead into my beloved valkubus. Would've just continued on with the plot, but this seemed as good a stopping point as any, and it's been a bit since my last upload...So, ugh, just read. Cry. **

**(QuickLookBusy, you'll probably love and hate this with a passion. My bad.) **

* * *

_There was an ominous stillness to the air. Cold and tasteless on the tongue, a calm that could rip through crowds with a devastating cleave, bringing about a silence that would settle upon the lands with an icy touch. It burned as it pressed against her skin, filled her dry lungs and stabbed at her eyelids. But she knew this stillness. Imbued in it was a hatred and a sickening fear… her hatred, her fear, and it shook her to the very core. The raw terror it wrought from her was unbridled and sickening… she wanted nothing more than to shake it, but she couldn't._

_"You're afraid, valkyrie," came a deep, raspy voice that made the still air itself tremble._

_A few feet before her, amidst the dull grey of her surroundings, a thick, black smoke erupted from the ground. It twisted up into the air, its thick width collapsing at the center and its climb ceasing at a certain point, so that it simply hovered in the air. Eventually, as the form of a person had become the evident shape of the black smoke, the black melted away into pink skin and brunette hair. _

_"Bo…" She spoke, her voice quivering with a hint of fear that was beginning to take hold of her._

_The figure of the succubus stood half naked, most of her clothes resting at her feet as a seductive grin formed on her face. But she wasn't looking at Tamsin. The valkyrie was gazing at the brunette's side, watching as Bo lustfully bit her lip, staring at the emptiness before her. And then, rather suddenly, another tower of black smoke rose from the ground, its form twisting and collapsing into the figure of another... one who set Tamsin's heart ablaze with a hint of anger and jealousy. It was Lauren. The thin woman stood, as Bo did, half-exposed to the succubus before her._

_The two figures remained still, their eyes locked onto each other's for a few long moments before they, at the precise same moment, began to approach each other. They closed the distance between them in less than second, ramming their mouths together in a passionate kiss. The figure of Lauren reached her hands up, gripping at the hair on the back of Bo's head and aggressively pulling her closer, slamming their bodies together in a heated collision. The succubus' hand, which had been pressed against Lauren's back, began to drag its way down, stopping at the blonde's hips, where they slid around and gripped the woman at the sides. Lightly pushing Lauren back to make a small crack of space between them, Bo moved her hands to rest her palms on the human's bare stomach. Their lips never parted._

_"Why are you showing me this?" Tamsin asked, an obvious tremble in her cracking voice. Had anyone been looking, they might've seen a flash of anger in her steely green eyes. She felt so tragically empty, looking forward at the sight before her, her body held in place by an icy grip that burned into her flesh. _

_"Just wait," said the deep voice, a hint of excitement in his chilling tone._

_Tamsin continued to watch as Lauren's hands made their way down Bo's body, her nails scraping against the brunette's glistening skin. She pushed Bo up against an invisible wall, a light smile forming at the edge of her lips as Bo's mouth moved to her jawline. Just then, as Bo's being seemed utterly consumed in the task at hand, her face nuzzled deep in the blonde's neck, the doctor's head rolled, her brown gaze meeting Tamsin's as her smile curved into a cynical smirk. The succubus, pulling her head back for a moment so that she could capture the blonde's lips, seemed obviously aroused by the entire situation, her hands yanking her lover closer. And then, in the longest second of Tamsin's life, it was all over. _

_The two bodies stopped moving, Lauren's playfully satisfied gaze still on Tamsin's. There was a drawn out silence, Tamsin's breath hitched in her throat, her body shaking in its place, the pain of the scorching grip around her falling to the recesses of her mind as the eerie and tension-filled silence shattered at the echoing sound of a drop of water slamming against the ground. Tamsin's eyes fell to the floor, where a single drop of red liquid lay… and then another, and another, and another, and then, with the clashing sound of metal hitting cement, a knife slammed into the small puddle of blood. _

_"No…" Tamsin breathed, her body screaming to break free from the grip that held her. "No!" _

_Bo's figure stumbled backwards, Lauren's hands falling to her sides, blood dripping from her fingertips. The blonde's gaze had since moved back to face the succubus, who had a tragic look of sorrow on her face. "I-I love you," she rasped to Lauren, who's smirk had morphed into a broad and twisted grin, as the succubus' knees buckled and her body crumpled to the ground. Her open hand collapsed into the puddle of blood, her head falling to the side, dark brown eyes meeting blue-green ones. _

_"Bo!" Tamsin screamed, her voice resonating through the seemingly endless space that surrounded her as she desperately and ferociously struggled to break free. But no matter how hard she fought, she couldn't escape… and no matter how hard she wished, she couldn't wake. _

* * *

"She doesn't look well," Bo stated simply, her eyes raking over the sweating valkyrie.

"Her body's trying to heal," Trick replied, resting the back of his hand atop the blonde's forehead. "She's been through a lot."

"Yeah." Bo nodded in agreement, lightly and subconsciously running her fingertips up and down Tamsin's arm.

After having 'discretely' slipped Tamsin the valkyrie-strength pain syrup and partaking in a bit of alcohol consumption with Kenzi, Bo decided to give Trick a call, asking that he and Dyson come to the clubhouse. Despite the succubus' reluctance to explain to them the reasoning behind the request, they agreed, arriving twenty minutes later with an assortment of magical items and books that Trick had opted to bring. Bo asked Trick to check on Tamsin, considering him the closest thing to a fae doctor among her now limited group of friends.

"About—"

"Lauren," Trick abruptly finished, knowing full well where his granddaughter intended to lead this conversation. "I haven't had much of a chance to read up on the situation,' he stated solemnly, his eyes leaving the valkyrie's to meet Bo's. "This ability that Tamsin spoke of, did she mention a name or a type of fae?"

"No. She said she'd only heard of the ability."

"I see…" Trick reached his hand up, lightly pinching the bridge of his nose as he began to consider the matter of events.

"Trick, there has to be some way to snap her out of this… whatever it is," Bo all but pleaded as she stepped closer to her grandfather.

"If there is, I've yet to come across it," he replied. "All that I know is that the fae who owns this ability—the one who did this to Dyson and Lauren—is a very powerful being. To not just bend the will, but plant it is an incredibly strong ability… it's something of gods or great warriors of ancient times."

"Gods?" Bo asked, "Why would a god want control of Lauren's will?"

"I think the more appropriate question is why a fae with such incredible power feels the need to send a valkyrie to do his work."

Bo's eyes wandered back over to Tamsin. "I… I have to find Lauren."

Trick nodded, knowingly. "I know."

"But, I can't just leave her here."

"I can stay," Dyson stated, entering the room.

"I need you to come with me," Bo replied, her eyes never leaving Tamsin's slightly trembling form. "I can't track Lauren as quickly as you can."

Dyson simply nodded in response.

Kenzi entered the room behind Dyson, making her way past the large wolf-man to stand beside Bo. "Trickster and I can stay," she said, nudging Bo lightly to wake her from her trance. "Anyone comes a-knocking on our door, and we'll give them a solid beat down."

"I—" Bo stated with clear hesitation.

"Trickster is the goddamn blood king, Bobo! He is the shit of all shits. Supreme lord of… blood, or whatever."

Trick decided against objecting to the human's brutal depiction of his ancient title, choosing to listen to Bo's response instead.

"We can take whatever they send our way, Bo," Kenzi said, her tone suddenly taking on a more serious edge.

"You'll keep her safe?" Bo asked, her hand still running along the blonde's arm. There was a hint of sadness to her tone… she didn't want to leave Tamsin's side, but she also couldn't leave Lauren out there alone. Even if this version of Lauren wanted nothing more than to see the valkyrie dead, Bo simply knew that given some time, she could break the human from the mysterious hold on her mind. She had to.

"Safer than safe. I'd sooner die than—"

"No. No one is going to die," Bo quickly asserted, her eyes moving to meet Kenzi's, and then the remaining persons in the room. "No one is going to die," she repeated more quietly.

"Alright. But still, I will protect her. Trick's got her back, too. Right, gramps?" She turned her gaze towards the small elderly fae.

"I will defend her with my life," he agreed. "Bo, go and do what you have to do."

A look of upset in her brown eyes, Bo nodded. "Okay," she said, a deep sadness in the spoken word that only further inspired Kenzi and Trick. Bo cared for Tamsin, this they could tell. The valkyrie had proven herself worthy of becoming one of their gang… thus she had become worthy of their affectionate protection, even if she was currently unaware of the unfolding events.

With one last glance at the distressed but unconscious valkyrie, Bo took Dyson by the arm and dragged him downstairs. They stalked up on weapons, and then darted out the door.

* * *

_This time, Bo and Lauren's glistening figures appeared merged on the floor. The positions in which they appeared in changed with each scene, but it always ended the same. The two women laid panting, Lauren atop of Bo, who's head rested in the remaining blood from the three previous scenes. Lauren's hands drew their way up and down Bo's torso, sharp nails scraping against smooth skin. Their lips were locked, moans escaping from their mouths as they gripped at each other, desperately holding one another as close as could possibly be arranged. But then came the silence._

_The frigid grip around Tamsin's body tightened, causing her to groan aloud as the pain became more prominent in her traumatized mind. Despite this, her eyes remained locked on Bo, who collapsed back onto the hard ground, blood trickling from her stomach down her sides and onto the floor, where it joined the blood from every death of hers that Tamsin had been forced to watch. Lauren reached up, holding Bo's jaw in her hand, keeping the brunette from stealing one last glance at the valkyrie before the life faded from her eyes. Instead, Lauren took the final twisted and cold glance at Tamsin, her brutally sardonic gaze boring into the valkyrie's sole as Bo's body went limp beneath her._

_"And so it will be," came the increasingly disturbing voice. Tamsin trembled as the owner's cold breath pressed against her neck, his hands appearing on her shoulders. _

_She could still feel the grip around her body, holding her in place, but this didn't seem to affect the figure that stood behind her. His hands slid down to her arms, then lower, and then sideways to her stomach, where they glided upwards towards her neck. "You will suffer at my will." His icy hands clamped around her throat, burning her flesh, leaving her to simply gasp for air as the figures of Bo and Lauren appeared again. This time the doctor had Bo pinned to the ground by her wrists, the succubus' lustful smile shining up at her. When Lauren leaned down, her lips slamming against Bo's passionately, she felt consumed by a peculiar mix of rage and sorrow._

_In that moment, though confusing the thought was, she didn't much care if the hands around her throat choked the very life from her._

* * *

**More A/N: Hope you enjoyed, or cried internally as I did.  
**


	13. Fit for you

Bo stormed into the white apartment, stopping in the center of the large room to take in her surroundings. Everything looked normal and somehow that unsettled her. "You sure this is where you found her?"

Dyson entered the room with less of a rush, his body more focused on the surrounding smells. "For the last time, Bo. Yes, this is where I found her."

Bo let her eyes wander over the apartment for a few more seconds. "Well, she's not in here!" Bo said impatiently.

Taking one last final sniff, Dyson turned his attention back towards the frustrated succubus. "Bo, we will find her. But you're going to have to be patient."

"Do you smell anything?" She asked, ignoring his comment.

"Yes."

"What?" She asked, walking over to the kitchen counter. She lifted a cell phone up into her hands, twisting it around with a heavy sigh.

"Well, she left here."

"What direction?"

"Not sure… she must've driven off somewhere."

"So, what? We've got nothing?"

"Her phone?" Dyson asked, turning towards Bo, his face falling when he saw her holding up the rectangular device with a disappointed expression. "Well, shit."

"Shit is right."

* * *

_The cold hands tightened around her neck, bringing Tamsin to her knees, her gaze fixated on Bo's still form. Lauren had vanished in a puff of black smoke, leaving only the collapsed succubus in her wake, her dark brown eyes staring emptily into everything and nothing at all. _

_As pain began to erupt in her lungs and darkness began to nip at her consciousness, the hands around her throat released her, tossing her to the ground where she choked and coughed against the burning in her throat. "Why!?" She screamed. "What the fuck was your reason for showing me that!?"_

_A tall, shadowy figure appeared before her. She couldn't see his face beyond the blackness that consumed him, but she could clearly see the walking stick at his side and a grim, sickening smile of white gleaming back at her. "Oh, don't be vulgar, my dear—"_

_"Vulgar!? You wanna fucking talk vulgar!?" She rose to her feet in one swift movement, her eyes locked onto his. "Did you **not **just force me to watch your daughter in the throws of passion and then be killed by your little slave human?" She asked, her words dripping with a quivering anger and hatred that threatened to explode at any moment. _

_"My daughter…" he repeats, as if considering the words. "I see you figured it out, then. You're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for."_

_Tamsin took a deep breath, desperately trying to tame the growing rage inside of her. A fight with the monster that stood before her in his own realm was careless, and yet…_

_"But that's of no matter here."_

_"Then what is?" She asked, taking a single step forward. "Why this!?" She yelled, gesturing towards the still figure of the succubus to her far right. "Why make me watch that shit over and over again!?"_

_"Oh, dear valkyrie. It simply seemed ideal. Fit for you, shall I say?"_

_"Fit for me?"_

_"It was for this moment that I had you watch those scenes," he stated, a malicious tone in his deep voice._

_"This moment?" She asked, her tone still aggressively pointed._

_"Or rather, that feeling in your gut—in your heart. The one that's consuming you as we speak."_

_"What feeling would that be?"_

_There was a long pause, a tension-filled silence settling upon the scene. Finally, he released a low, menacing chuckle, pressing the bottom of his walking stick to a spot before him and placing his left hand upon his right, which held the handle of the stick in its palm. The shadowy black substance began to swirl around his body and in a moment of complete and utter rage, all considerations aside, Tamsin lunged towards the blackening mass, reaching her hands out in some hope to grip his neck, or his coat, or even his walking stick. But she had no such luck. Just as her hands plunged into the darkness, it vanished without a trace, her body falling hard to the floor. _

_She was alone. All that remained with her was the still form of the succubus, the dark and empty brown eyes still resting open, gazing into the nothingness that laid before. For a moment she considered crawling over to the brunette, sitting with her until the end of her own hellish nightmare… but she was never one to cradle a corpse. It was a weakness, something akin to hesitation when delivering the final blow to your enemy. It would get her killed._

_Instead she simply remained on the ground, frustration and anger still roaring inside of her. She had to wake up._

* * *

"Are you sure this is all just her body trying to heal?" Kenzi asked, wiping a cool, wet cloth along the side of Tamsin's face. The valkyrie's breath was jagged, a thin layer of sweat formed upon her skin. "She looks… upset," the human stated, noting the blonde's slightly furrowed brow.

"I can't say what's happening in her mind, Kenzi," Trick answered. "There could be a number of reasons behind this reaction, fae healing abilities aside."

Kenzi folded the rag and rested it atop of Tamsin's forehead, patting it once gently before turning to face Trick and folding her arms across her chest. "How long do you think it will take Bo to find Lauren? I know I said we could handle some assassins, but I'd really prefer if we didn't have to."

"That would be nice," Trick agreed.

There was a long silent pause between the two, the only sound that filled the room being the sound of Tamsin's shaky breath behind them. Finally, Kenzi spoke. "Trickster," she said, her words mocking but her tone eerily solemn, "you said that whoever did this was—is—powerful."

"Very much so, I'm afraid."

"With the assassins and… and Lauren—how do we fight this?"

"I don't know, Kenzi," Trick answered truthfully. "We just… we'll come out on top, we always—" He was cut off when Kenzi place held a single finger up, her attention drawn to the doorway.

"You hear that, gramps?" She asked, slowly walking past him towards the door.

"Hear what?" He asked, stealing a glance at Tamsin before following her.

She paused for a moment, listening to the rustling sounds coming from below. "Someone's downstairs," she said.

* * *

"Wait, she what?" Bo asked the young seeming brunette fae doctor.

"She stopped by a little over an hour ago, threw some concoction together—" the light fae man answered, running a hand through his greasy hair.

"Did you happen to see what kind of, uh, concoction it was that she was making?"

"She grabbed a few extreme ingredients, but no, I've no idea what she was making."

Dyson looked annoyed. He glanced around the lab, breathing in deep to register all the smells.

"Did she maybe say where she was going?"

"No. Nothing. She looked like she was in a hurry, though."

"Shit. Thank you," she said, dismissing the confused and agitated doctor. He turned on his heel without so much as a second glance at the succubus, making his way over to a lab station across the room. "Dyson?"

Dyson took one last sniff of the room before turning his attention back to Bo. "She was definitely here… but where she went after, I can't tell."

"Dammit!" Bo yelled, throwing her fist at the nearby counter top. They met the solid surface heavily, sending waves of pain up the brunette's arm, though she didn't much notice them.

"Calm down, Bo. We just need to think about this. What does Lauren want?"

Bo seemed to consider this for a moment, lifting her hand rubbing her now sore knuckles as she pondered. "Uh—to kill…" She began, her brow furrowing and her tongue quickly passing over her fast drying lips.

"To kill Tamsin, right?" Dyson decided to finish the thought for the succubus, who seemed to be having a hard time grasping the idea that Lauren wanted Tamsin dead.

"R-right."

"So… if Lauren came to the lab to whip something up, something that may very well be a weapon of some sort, what would she use it for?"

Bo's eyes lit up for a moment, realization hitting her, but the light faded as quickly as it began to settle in her mind. "To kill Tamsin…"

"Exactly—"

"Dyson, we need to go. Now!" She said, grabbing the wolf by the collar and dragging him away.

* * *

Kenzi gripped the handle of the long, thin katana in her sweaty hands, slowly taking the next step. She had left Trick to some magic-whatsit that he had hurriedly explained, but her mind had been racing at the time, which left little room to sort out some understanding of what he was about to do. As her left foot lowered to the final step, she pulled the sword back slightly, entirely prepared to throw her entire weight into one devastating blow. She couldn't see anyone yet beyond the two walls to either side of her, but she could hear their footsteps drawing near.

With a heavy intake of breath and the subconscious closing of her eyes, she took a large step out into the open, spinning around and swinging the long sword towards her target. She felt the blade slam into something solid, sending multiple waves of heavy vibrations through the lengthy metal object and up into her hands. "Ha!" She exclaimed, opening her eyes in satisfaction at her work, only to be met with the cold exterior of a towering, monster of a man. With his head shaved and a black suit jacket covering the white of his muscle shirt beneath. Held in his abnormally large hand was the tip of Kenzi's sword, which showed no sign of having caused any damage at all. Her triumphant gaze turned to panicked as she tugged the sword back, stumbling with it. "H-hi," she stammered, staring up into the man's face.

A sinister smirk replaced his stoic expression as he reached forward, taking the thin girl by the arm and pulling her closer to him. She struggled to break free while his hand enveloped the entirety of her small arm and his gaze was fixed heavily on the front door, which stood ajar. She swung the sword in his direction again, immediately releasing it from her grip when she saw that it had roughly slammed into his stomach, leaving no sign of ever having made contact at all. It didn't appear that he healed at incredible speeds, rather it seemed that his skin was virtually impenetrable. This realization, along with the thick scars running along the side of his neck and cheek, filled the small human with a heavy fear that she desperately tried to contain.

"Don't be too aggressive," came a familiar voice that singed the air with its malice tone. "She's not who we've come for."

Kenzi ceased her struggle with the large fae man whose hand held her in its tight grip, her attention now solely and completely on the blonde woman that stood before her. "Lauren…" She breathed, subconsciously trying to tug her arm from the minion's grip, though to no avail.

"Hello, Kenzi." Lauren slowly and calmly stalked over to where Kenzi was held, a light and gentle smile playing on her lips. "It's nice to see you."

"Fuck off." The small human turned her head to the side, hoping to avoid the blonde's gaze.

The doctor stood shocked, a hint of hurt on her face. "Wow," she murmured, "we're still at this."

"Still at this? Really!?" Kenzi asked, her icy blue eyes snapping back up to meet Lauren's. "Do explain to me why you're here, Lauren! I would so love to hear all about how you plan to _kill _ Tamsin!"

"It's for the best, Kenzi. It's for Bo… for you—"

"Don't give me that shit! It's His twisted mind game and you don't even realize it!" Kenzi wasn't really sure who to direct her rage at. Somewhere in the back of her mind she recognized that Lauren was just a puppet, but the woman standing before her had this empty look in her eyes that filled the small brunette with such extreme rage.

"One day you'll all thank me." With that, Lauren nodded to the large man who still stood by Kenzi's side. He reached around Kenzi's small body, taking her other arm in his free hand and pulling her back. The human's attention was focused on trying to break free, losing tabs on the 'good' doctor. That is, until she felt a sharp pain in her neck.

"Shit!" Kenzi yelled, stumbling forward as the large fae released her. "What the hell did you put in me?"

"Don't worry," Lauren said, "I'm not here to hurt you."

"Fu—" The room began to spin, colours blurring together, Kenzi's own heavy body dragging her down to the floor. The last thing she saw before the cold darkness consumed her was the image of the 'good' doctor standing before her, hands in pockets and a dark look of satisfaction on her face.

* * *

_After what seemed like a few long hours, Tamsin slowly pushed herself up from the ground. She let her eyes wander over to the corpse to her right, swiftly pulling them away, cursing herself for giving in again. _

_She could still feel the waves of anger rush through her, along with some other emotion, though she couldn't quite place it. That was of no importance to her though. What really mattered was that she was trapped in His little world, open to whatever he wanted to send her way. She was vulnerable and it pissed her off. _

_"Who the hell does he think he is?" She vocalized, rising to her feet."…a god…" she answered quietly to herself. She knew who he was and what he was capable of, and perhaps that scared her. She wasn't sure… fear wasn't an emotion she experienced too often. But she couldn't quite understand where the fear was coming from. She didn't fear for her life, that wasn't it..._

_"No-stop," she commanded herself. Whatever the source of her fear, now was not the time to analyze it. She had to wake up. She had to get out. "Dammit, Bo…" she breathed, swearing to herself in that moment that she would pay the succubus back for knocking her out and sending her to this hell.  
_

* * *

"Don't even bother."

Trick glanced up from the lined up dishes before him, his eyes meeting hostile ones as the doctor came into sight. "You didn't kill—"

"She's… asleep," Lauren answered, taking a step closer to where Trick sat on the floor.

He let out a light sigh of relief. "I can't just let you kill her," he finally said, though slowly, an ancient and powerful air of superiority dripping from his tone. He didn't stand, it seemed more appropriate for him to hold his ground.

"I know you can't… but I won't give you a choice."

"I figured as much."

"The theatrics won't work, Trick."

"It's all I've got—"

"We both know that's not true."

Trick continued, ignoring Lauren's comment. "I have to try."

"It will fail—"

"We'll see." Trick reached into his pocket, swiftly pulling out a small vial of redish liquid. He then decided to rise to his feet, taking a few steps back to further the distance between him and the blonde human. Just as her raised his arm to toss the vial forward, directing it towards Lauren, the woman snapped her fingers and suddenly vanished in a bright, white flash, the vial vanishing along with her.

Trick's eyes darted around the room as he bent down and lifted a small dagger that rested at his feet, old lettering inscribed along its silver blade. He held the knife before his body, hoping to keep it between him and the doctor… wherever she had gone to.

"Nice try." The voice came from behind him. He made to spin around, charge the woman, but by the time his body managed to turn, he was injected with a small needle. "I truly am sorry, Trick." He watched as his vision began to blur, noting the peculiarly scrawny looking figure that stood behind Lauren. There were no details in the image, for darkness soon overwhelmed him, dropping him to the ground.

With a moment of silent reflection and a few heavy breaths, Lauren spun on her heel, turning to face the unconscious valkyrie. She took a moment to wonder how the valkyrie had managed to sleep through the entire occurrence, but soon chalked it up to a medication of sorts, taking notice of the beads of sweat that casually dripped down Tamsin's pale face. "How unfortunate for you," she stated, reaching into her pocket. She lifted a syringe, this one larger than both the one that she had used on Kenzi and the one she had used on Trick, containing a strange pale liquid inside of it. "Pity, they truly liked you." Lauren gently tucked the tip of the needle into Tamsin's arm, her thumb hovering over the plunger.

**A/N: Well... certainly not my favourite chapter. I don't even know. Review, or don't. I'll definitely try and make the next one more exciting, I think I was just bored with this one. Fist to fist, anyone? That seems sound. Okay, expect that. **

**Anywho, thanks for reading so far. I'll update soon! :)**


	14. Listen closely

_With a moment of silent reflection and a few heavy breaths, Lauren spun on her heel, turning to face the unconscious valkyrie. She took a moment to wonder how the valkyrie had managed to sleep through the entire occurrence, but soon chalked it up to a medication of sorts, taking notice of the beads of sweat that casually dripped down Tamsin's pale face. "How unfortunate for you," she stated, reaching into her pocket. She lifted a syringe, this one larger than both the one that she had used on Kenzi and the one she had used on Trick, containing a strange pale liquid inside of it. "Pity, they truly liked you." Lauren gently tucked the tip of the needle into Tamsin's arm, her thumb hovering over the plunger._

* * *

_A sharp pain snapped Tamsin out of her frustrated pacing, which she'd been doing for what felt like a few hours. She glanced down at the crook of her arm where a small stream of blood began to trickle down to her wrist, and to her hand… dripping onto the ground beneath her. "Shit," she breathed, covering the spot with her other hand as she glanced around. "Come out and face me you bastard!"_

_She could hear her voice bouncing off of invisible walls, echoing throughout the large and endless space. Her response was the mere lone chuckle that vibrantly shook the ground beneath her, making her lose her balance and fall to the ground, a string of colourful curses slipping from her lips in the form of angry mutters._

* * *

Bo leapt out of the car, sprinting to the front door. She passed through the small foyer space, barely stopping to note that the second door that led into her house was wide open. She slipped inside, halting when an unconscious Kenzi came into sight, a large hulk-sized man standing above her, his bulging arms folded across his chest. "Get the hell away from her—"

"Bo, go!" Dyson demanded, storming into the room, his chest trembling and extending beneath his button up shirt, pointed sharp claws ripping from the flesh at the tip of his fingers as he shoved the succubus in the direction of the stairway. "I've got this one," he snarled.

Bo gave Dyson a thankful smile, tapped him on the shoulder, and ran for the stairs. She managed to climb them in no more than a few seconds, bringing her to the top and into her room. "Lauren!" She screamed, slowing her approach once the doctor came into sight. She glanced down to the human's hands, which held a large syringe in place, the needle firmly in Tamsin's arm. "Lauren, please. You don't have to do this."

The doctor adjusted her grip on the syringe, her eyes still focused on the job at hand. If she heard Bo, she showed no sign of it. She let her thumb gently graze over the surface of the plunger, a light smile beginning to play at her lips.

"Lauren, look at me!"

The doctor turned her head towards Bo. "Yes?"

With a heavy sigh, Bo took a single step forward, her hand held out before her. "I know you think this is to protect me—"

"It is to protect you, Bo."

"Killing her—killing Tamsin—that's not protecting me. Tamsin is my friend… if you kill her—she's fae, Lauren. They'll kill you."

"I don't give a damn about the fae, Bo." Lauren turned her attention back to the valkyrie. "He knows what's best for you… he wants you to be safe."

"No, he wants Tamsin to suffer—"

"And I will make her suffer!" Lauren cut in. "I will enact his good will."

"No, Lauren. _He_ is the one who's trying to hurt me… and Tamsin made a decision to go against him—to protect me."

"Stop talking, Bo. Please." Lauren took a deep breath. "This bitch really has poisoned your mind."

"No, she-she hasn't. Please, Lauren—" Bo's eyes were drawn back to the syringe, growing wide as Lauren's thumb suddenly pressed down onto the plunger. "No…" she breathed as the pale liquid drained from the barrel, pumping into the valkyrie's arm. "Lauren, no…No!" Bo charged forward at a speed that the human had never seen before. The doctor hadn't the chance to react prior to being thrown to the ground. She looked up to see the radiant blue eyes of Bo's inner succubus, an anger there that struck her to the very core…flooded her with a deep, unsettling and unforgettable fear. But then, in a white and vibrant flash, Bo had vanished and Lauren found herself lying upon the cold, hard ground of a dingy and unfamiliar place.

"I had the situation under control," she stated, rising to her feet and dusting herself off after taking a moment to recompose herself.

"Well, not from where I was standing."

"Clearly," Lauren said, "you were standing in the wrong place."

"A simple thank you would've been nice."

"Like you care about what it is that I have to say?"

"Point taken. I don't care, as long as you get the job done."

"I think I just did."

"And for his second wish?"

"I've got a plan for that, too."

"Care to share?"

Lauren looked up, her eyes falling upon the tall, thin, almost skeletal looking fae before her. His eyes and hair were a grayish white which didn't contrast well with his pale skin. If she didn't know any better, she'd think him to be sick. But the cold and determined look in his eyes and his young face told her otherwise… as did his words. "Not quite yet."

* * *

Bo could feel her anger falling away, leaving only an overwhelming mix of fear and concern. "Tamsin…" she breathed, ignoring her questions about the doctor's disappearing act and rising to her feet. As she stood, she saw the syringe lying on the ground beside her. The glass barrel had a small crack on it and inside could be seen a small amount of the pale white liquid that remained. For a split second she considered smashing the small object, ridding the world of its presence, but decided against it. Something told her that the remaining drops of the substance would come in handy.

She could vaguely hear the brawl occurring on the floor below her, the snarling and the yelling and the crashing sounded destructive…aggressive… but she couldn't find it in herself to care. She let her gaze fall onto the unconscious blonde, a sadness filling her eyes. "Oh, God… no." Bo took the step that closed the distance between her and the bed, stepping past Trick's unconscious form. She had checked his breathing when she first came into the room. She plopped down wearily onto a spot on the mattress beside where the valkyrie lay, bringing her hand up to pull the drying cloth from the blonde's forehead. Tossing it aside, she let her hand fall to the woman's cheek. "What have I done?"

* * *

Dyson let out a low, rumbling growl that reverberated through his chest and trembled out into the room. He glanced down at the small human who lay at his feet, a long katana resting beside her. After receiving assurance that Kenzi was still alive from the steady rise and fall of her chest, he let his wolf take over, lunging himself at his oversized opponent with a heavy snarl that tore through the room. Thick claws punctured black cloth only to be met by the sheer solid surface beneath it, sending sharp, jagged pains up Dyson's arms and forcing a growl from his chest as he ripped his hand away.

He stepped backwards, narrowly avoiding a heavy right hook from his opponent, who took no time to recover before bringing his elbow back around to the wolf's jaw. Stumbling back from the force of the blow, Dyson blindly slashed at the air before him, catching another hint of the assassin's black muscle shirt and the solid surface beneath it, ever-so-slightly bending the tips of his claws back. He was catching on now…

Dyson took a few more steps away from the large mass before him, using the moment of mild calm to compose his thoughts… develop his plan of attack. But his little break didn't last long. In a moment, faster than the wolf had assumed the large fae could move, a hefty fist hurtled directly into the center of Dyson's face, knocking him up against the couch that stood behind him. Searing pain shot up his face, blurring his thoughts as blood gushed from his nose, spilling down his face in a gory mess that poured out onto his black vest. But within a moment the sharp pain had faded into a dull ache masked by a familiar and welcomed rage that built up inside of him, enveloping him in its fiery embrace as a deep, loud growling bark-like roar ripped from this throat.

Without hesitation, his body flung itself at his opponent, throwing the large fae to the ground with a heavy 'thud.' His claws and fists pounded at the flesh beneath him, slashing at the man's face and arms and chest… but there remained no marks. After a few long seconds of enduring the wolf's abuse, the fae yelled an almost tribal yell, pushing his arms against Dyson's chest and heaving him across the room. The wolf's body slammed into the ground a few feet away, a shaky growl emitting from his chest as he made contact with the hard wooden floor.

In one swift movement, he rose to his feet, turning his body to full on face his target. He had a plan. He shook his head angrily, ridding himself of any leftover fogginess from previous blows and pushing the thought of his injuries aside, before taking a single step back, and then pouncing forward. The palm of his large, opened hand shoved down against the assassin's face, giving Dyson the opportunity to push the entirety of his strength and body down onto the man, forcing the figure to the ground. Quickly, before the massive fae had even registered the event that had just occurred, Dyson spun around, darted over to Kenzi's small frame, and lifted the light sword into his large hand. It felt strange, he had to admit. He hadn't wielded a sword in battle in ages… it just wasn't something a wolf did. They had their claws, their strength, their agility… a sword generally acted as a hindrance in the heat of a fight. But Dyson was running out of options.

He heard a loud grunt from behind him, signaling the regaining of sense of awareness from his opponent. Turning around, Dyson tossed the sword up into the air, pushing against the base, the handle of the sword, as he did so. It lingered, spinning above his outstretched hand for a short moment and then dropping down, the sharp end of the sword's blade landing cleanly and flatly against his palm.

The wolf lifted his gaze, meeting the fiery eyes of an enraged assassin who stood brutishly before him. The man's lip curled up slightly, a sinister smirk forming on his gruff-looking face as he threw his body forward, his obvious plan to tackle Dyson into the wall. But Dyson didn't give him the chance. The moment the massive figure was close enough, Dyson sidestepped the oncoming attack, lifting the sword, still gripped by the blade, and shoving the base into the assassin's face as he fell past Dyson.

The contact had been brutal, base ramming through eye socket, the slightest hint of an agonizing scream still echoing in the air that surrounded the now dead body. The figure lay collapsed on the hardwood floor, blood gushing out in puddles from his impaled eyeball and onto his face, which in turn spilled over onto the floor that rested beneath his shaved head. From the speed and force of his charge and the strength behind Dyson's thrust, the base of the sword had managed to pierce through the eye and imbed itself deep within the fae's skull. He had let out small scream before his body caught up with his fast-dying brain, and the life that he held claim to was ripped from his body. He was dead, and Dyson took a long moment to bask in his victory. That is, until a small voice pulled his attention away.

"Holy shit…"

"Kenzi?" Dyson asked, taking one last final glance at the corpse before walking over to where the small human stood. She had awoken soon after Dyson took hold of the sword, and thus had seen the climax and end of the battle. It filled her with a curious terror for the shortest of seconds, but as soon as it had come, it was gone, replaced by overwhelming relief. She ran forward, jumping into the wolf's embrace.

"Jesus, wolfman…" she said, stepping away. "Nothing like a sword through the eye, eh?"

Smiling at the sarcastic response, Dyson pulled Kenzi back into another tight hug. "I had to fight for our Kenzi, didn't I?"

"Well, you certainly did that." She pushed herself away from him, letting her eyes fall onto his shirt. "There's blood all over the place."

"Not all mine, I'd wager," he said jokingly. "Bastard did break my nose, though," he said, reaching up to wipe at the blood beneath the tender spot.

"And you broke his face… literally. Is he—"

"Dead. As dead as can be."

"Good."

The two stood there for a short while, neither choosing to look at the bloody mess at their feet. Rather, at the end of their still silence, they both turned their attention toward the stairway.

"Tamsin..." Kenzi breathed, taking Dyson's hand into hers and slowly tugging him towards the stairs.

* * *

What _had _she done? "Hesitated," Bo answered her own question. "I hesitated." She had opted to 'talk' to the doctor… she always wanted to talk. It was a flaw… she could never just act, and today Tamsin paid the price for that. This she recognized, this she cursed.

Tamsin's skin burned beneath the skin on the succubus' fingers. Her fever had grown steadily since the injection, her breath having become increasingly unsteady. It scared Bo in ways she hadn't known she could be scared.

* * *

Dyson was the first to walk into the room. Kenzi froze upon her entrance, seeing Trick groaning awake on the floor… seeing Bo leaning over Tamsin. Bo's back was turned to her, but Kenzi could tell… she was scared.

"Bo…" Kenzi said, willing herself forward. She stepped past Trick, who had just seated himself upright. "Where's Lauren, Bo?"

The succubus didn't move… she didn't even flinch. Her body remained still, her eyes fixed on the valkyrie that rested beside her.

Dyson walked up behind Kenzi, lowering himself down and taking the syringe into his hand. He lifted the object up to his nose and inhaled deeply, flinching as he did so. A look of realization crossed his face as the pained expression faded, his eyes raising to rest upon the trembling valkyrie.

"Dyson?" Kenzi asked. "Bo?" A hand rested on her shoulder.

"Kenzi," said Trick, "she's been poisoned."

"What!?"

"It's all my fault," Bo said, her voice shaking with every syllable.

"It's not your fault, Bo," Dyson stated. "I know you did all that you could."

"No," she answered. "I didn't."

"Bo," Trick interjected, "Lauren bested us all… the one pulling her strings, he's a powerful man. This is not your fault."

"I tried to _talk _to her, Trick."

"To Lauren?"

"Yes!" Bo leapt up from her spot on the bed, her hand reluctantly sliding off of Tamsin's face. "I tried to _talk _to Lauren! How stupid can I be!? Like I could convince her to go against whatever that ass hole has commanded she do." She ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "I took my time, and she didn't take hers."

"Bo, you couldn't have known. It's not like you could've tackled the bitch—" Kenzi argued.

"I did."

"You what?" Dyson asked.

"I tackled her. I threw Lauren to the ground after she…" She lost the remaining words in the sentence, her eyes falling back down to Tamsin.

"Bo… you tackled Lauren," Kenzi said.

"You know," Bo began, "I'm really starting to think that maybe Lauren isn't even in there anymore."

"Bo, don't say that."

"Kenzi! She's trying to kill Tamsin! She might've just accomplished her mission, too."

"That's Him, not her!"

"Is it!?"

"You're not really thinking about giving up on her, are you?" Dyson asked, taking a step closer to Bo. "This is Lauren we're talking about."

Lauren. The name held weight, Bo could feel it… but it wasn't like it used to be. With it came an unbridled fury, a hatred that ran deep in her veins. With that name came His name. But Dyson was right. Bo couldn't give up on Lauren… she wouldn't. Despite all that had happened, there was still something there. She said she would fight for Lauren, and so she would. Though… Bo's eyes saddened as she took Tamsin's ill-looking form in… at what cost?

"No," Bo said finally, "We're not giving up on Lauren. But… Tamsin. Tamsin's our priority, right now."

Trick, Dyson, and Kenzi all nodded in unison, there's eyes falling onto the valkyrie. They stood like that, no one daring to speak, for a few very long minutes. Bo's hand had slowly lowered down, resting atop of Tamsin's. No one in the group questioned it… no one thought to. It seemed so oddly natural, as if Bo and Tamsin had been like this forever… like they belonged like this.

"So…What's the plan?" Kenzi asked finally, reluctantly breaking the chilling silence. "Storm the castle? Break some necks?"

"Lauren. We find Lauren, we find the cure." Bo lowered herself down onto the bed, intertwining her fingers with Tamsin's.

"How exactly do you plan to find Lauren? I mean, don't get me wrong, you're amazing, Bo. But… unless you've been hiding some jedi-like powers of awesomeness… we have no leads."

"I—" Just then, a ringing sound silenced the room. Bo reached slowly reached into her bra, her other hand still locked with Tamsin's, lifting her phone out with a confused expression painted on her face. Everyone who might call her was in the room with her. She glanced down at the caller ID. "It's a blocked number."

"That's never good," Kenzi stated, taking a step closer to Bo.

"Answer it," Trick added.

"O-okay." Bo tapped the green icon on the screen and then, directly after, the 'speaker phone' icon that appeared beneath the bright word 'blocked.' "Hello?"

"Bo."

"Lauren…"

"Wow," Kenzi whispered. "Ask and you shall receive." Dyson nudged her.

"Listen closely if you want the valkyrie to live."

**A/N: So, the next chapter I hope to be better written. I spent some time on this one, but I still feel like I could take a moment to write these in a more descriptive, flowing fashion. But anyways, that's beside the point. I wrote stuff. Review, or don't, as usual, I thoroughly enjoy reviews. I like to have conversations with you guys, it always sparks fun and exciting ideas.**

**Credit to TheUnaligned for the base of the sword through the eyeball thing, I had intended to just use the blade... but that's too clean for some people. :P**

**Besides that, hope you enjoyed, and I will update soon. :)**

**Thanks for reading.**


	15. The Trap

_"Bo." _

_"Lauren…"_

_"Listen closely if you want the valkyrie to live."_

* * *

"Lauren, please—" Bo began, her grip on Tamsin's hand tightening.

"As you've probably already figured out, Tamsin's been injected with a deadly poison. Don't bother trying to find a cure, the only one available is with me. Even if you were to find someone capable of creating an anti-toxin, Tamsin would be dead before it could be delivered to her." Lauren's voice was terribly cold, not the slightest hint of emotion mixed in with the words that she fluidly and calmly spoke.

"What do you want?" Bo asked after receiving a reassuring nod from Dyson. "I'll do anything." This she meant. Her voice trembled from the pure, crippling fear that tore through her veins and jabbed at her heart. It was this peculiar honesty that caught her off guard. She meant it. She truly, absolutely meant it. She would do anything, though she wasn't quite sure why.

There was a pause. "Anything." Bo thought she could hear Lauren's voice crack, a weak moment of insecurity, or fear, or perhaps even anger. Another pause. "There's an abandoned laboratory about thirty miles north of the town. Come and you can have the cure."

"That's it? I just come to see you and you hand over the cure?" Bo was skeptical.

"Well, you come alone."

"With Tamsin," Bo pressed, her tone more demanding than she had originally intended, though she felt comfortable with the strength behind it once the words had slipped from her lips.

There was another hesitant pause. Lauren hadn't expected Bo to be so emotionally driven. Or perhaps she had… perhaps she had just hopelessly denied it. Whatever her expectations, she needed Bo and she recognized that the succubus would not come without the valkyrie. So, with a hint of frustration in her tone, she answered, "Yes. With Tamsin."

"When?" Bo asked hastily.

"Now." The line went dead.

There was a small silence following the call, and then Bo rose to her feet, turning around to full on face Tamsin. She meant it. Despite the obvious 'trap'-like feel to the whole situation, she had to make the effort. Whatever the cost.

"Woah, woah!" Kenzi said, taking Bo by the forearm. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

"Taking Tamsin to Lauren."

"I'm sorry, were you not listening to the same phone call? That had 'trap' written in bold, bright red, flashing letters across your phone screen. I'm pretty sure that was the caller ID and the area code. " Kenzi pulled Bo back.

"I have to… it's her only chance."

"There's got to be another way," Dyson stated.

"What other way, Dyson!?" Bo asked, spinning around to face the wolf. "Please, enlighten me."

Dyson was silent. He could see the desperation in Bo's eyes and he thought that it looked familiar, but there was something about that particular look that was new. He knew he had never seen this much drive behind those deep brown pools. She was honestly willing to do anything. He couldn't help but question Lauren's safety, but something told him that if Bo truly intended to kill the doctor there would be nothing he could do to stop it. All there was for him to do was hope, or rather pray, that the situation wouldn't come to that.

"C'mon, guys! Someone has got to have a master plan, right!? There's always a God damn master plan!" Bo was slowly becoming hysterical, her eyes brimming with tears as she collapsed back down into her seat beside Tamsin. "We have to do something…"

"And we will," Dyson said, kneeling down beside Bo. He looked terrible, his jagged nose sitting just above a mess of drying blood that drew a browning path down to his black shirt and through his red-tinted beard.

"Dyson, I can't lo—we have to save her," Bo said, her voice trembling.

"Like the wolf man said, we will."

"Trick?" Dyson asked, turning to face the elder, hopefulness in his eyes.

"You're going to need some backup."

"Backup?"

"If this is a trap, as It would appear to be, Lauren's going to expect that you'll have figured that out. She's going to expect you to bring the regulars along."

"So… what do you suggest?"

"Got any fae friends lying around?"

"No friends, but..." Bo said.

Kenzi's face lit up.

* * *

Bo was leaning against the back frame of the bed, her hand slowly and subconsciously brushing through the blonde hair of the valkyrie whose head rested on her lap. She wasn't really sure what compelled her to position Tamsin this way, but it had happened almost instinctively... it simply felt—well—right. So, there she sat, combing through blonde hair, her eyes staring forward at her small human best friend.

Kenzi held her phone up to her ear, a frown evident on her face as she began pacing. "C'mon!" She yelled, waving her free hand up into the air in a frustrated manner. "Please, we really need your help." She paused. "Yes it will be dangerous." Another pause. "No! Wait—actually, yes. You can play with the bad guys." Pause. "Yep. Anyway you like. Control to your heart's desire—"She glanced over at Bo, who nodded lightly. "Only if you'll let me borrow your mascara." Pause, her head turning back to the path that she had been pacing. "No, not the water resistant one. What use would I have for that?" Pause. "Oh, screw the rain. Just bring it and get your ass over here." Pause. Once again, her eyes fell onto Bo, and then onto the pale blonde lying on her lap. Again, she couldn't help but feel comfortable with the sight. It was as if she'd seen it a hundred times… Bo and Tamsin. Tamsin and Bo. "Hurry. She might not have long."

Kenzi let her phone-wielding arm fall to her side. Her gaze was locked onto the valkyrie. "Bo, everything's going to be fine, right?"

"We're going to save her."

"What about after that?"

Bo's eyes locked onto Kenzi's, her tone shifting from quiet, almost uncertain, to strong, earnest in the conviction it portrayed. "We're going to save her."

"Right." Kenzi carefully climbed up onto the bed, making her way over to Bo's side. "How is she?" She asked, peering down at the blonde.

Bo stopped her nervous combing of Tamsin's hair, her hand now simply resting atop the woman's forehead. "This fever isn't letting up." Her voice was terribly distant, her eyes having fallen onto the valkyrie's unconscious form, a deep confusion… sadness… fear held in their brown colour.

Kenzi sat there in silence for a short while before leaning forward and lifting Tamsin's shirt up. A light smile appeared on her lips. "On the bright side," Kenzi said, "once we get Tam Tam all cured and stuff, she'll be able to move again."

"That's good," Bo said, a hint of hopefulness in her eyes.

* * *

_It was hot. So very hot. Flames rose from the ground, reaching high up into the empty black sky, circling Tamsin. Behind them He stood, his silhouette watching from the dancing flames and his white, wicked smirk still visible through the waves of heat that distorted the space before her._

_"And so it has begun," he spoke, his voice booming, clear._

_"This won't work—"_

_"Oh, child… this is not from within." The same low, chilling chuckle filled her ears again as His silhouette vanished in a bright wisp of flames. _

_Tamsin made to move forward, to call out yet another idle threat… but the words were lost in her throat when a sudden sharp pain erupted within her. _

Her eyes shot open, blue-green meeting surprised brown as a terrifyingly powerful, blood curdling scream ripped from her throat. Pain. There was pain everywhere. It consumed her. There was nothing else, nothing more…

...

"What's happening!?" Kenzi yelled, jumping forward to press Tamsin's suddenly convulsing body down against the bed. The small human wasn't sure when it had happened, but Bo already had her arms wrapped around the blonde's chest, holding her tightly against her own with her chin pressing down onto the valkyrie's head. Her eyes were open, staring blankly into the nothingness before her, though, with every scream, with every cry, her grip tightened around the valkyrie's shoulders and a the sharp pain that had been lingering in her chest for days grew.

"Bo!" Dyson stormed into the room, stopping for only a moment before joining Kenzi in holding Tamsin's body down. "Dammit Bo, snap the hell out of it!" He continued to cry for Bo's attention, occasionally reaching up to the shake the succubus, but she never flinched and she never blinked. That is, not until the screams subsided and the blonde's form settled back down on the bed, her body relaxing against Bo's chest.

"What the hell _was_ that shit?" Kenzi asked, releasing Tamsin's body

"Lauren," Bo said simply, digging her face sadly into Tamsin's head. She inhaled deeply, pulling the valkyrie even closer before finally releasing her and lowering her back down onto her lap where her head fell to the side and her heavy, jagged breaths slowly began to even out.

Dyson was the last to let go, his hands gingerly releasing the blonde's body from his grip.

"We have to go," Bo said, a terrifyingly serious edge to her tone. "We have to go now."

"But—" Kenzi interjected.

"Dyson can pick him up."

* * *

Bo sat in the driver's seat of the large SUV that Dyson had pulled, in some unspecified way, from the precinct. Nearly an hour had passed in that vehicle, and now there they sat, outside of a large battered building. Black scorch marks climbed the gray-tinted exterior walls, reaching past shattered windows and underneath vibrantly colourful graffiti works. The succubus' eyes lingered on the ominous structure, torn away by the light clearing of Kenzi's throat. "You ready, Bobo?"

"Ready."

"Everyone's in place."

"So," Bo said, "I just walk in there. With Tamsin."

"Right on in. Through the front door." Kenzi nodded to the main entrance.

There was a long pause before either of them spoke again. "Kenzi."

"Hm?" Kenzi pressed a freshly dampened rag to Tamsin's forehead.

"This is going to work, right?"

Kenzi reached forward, having been seated in the back seat with the unconscious valkyrie, resting a reassuring hand on Bo's shoulder. "This is going to work. We're going to find Lauren, turn her game around, save Tamsin and then save the good doctor herself."

"Save everyone."

"…Yeah." Bo seemed awfully distant. Peculiarly languid in her motion, her gaze constantly fixed on some undetermined and unspecified spot before her. Kenzi struggled to think of when this started… sifted through her frazzled thoughts and memories to recall the specific moment that Bo had begun to crumble. And then, with a light groan from the valkyrie on her lap, she realized. Tamsin. Pieces began falling into place, and suddenly Kenzi couldn't contain her own excitement. Despite Bo's current behaviour, with the return of Tamsin would come the return of Bo. For there to be one, there had to be the other. But again, she struggled to see when this specific bond had come to be. There were hints of sparks between the two girls in Bo's poorly worded stories of their few adventures, but Kenzi hadn't been there to witness the chemistry. She kind of wished she had, it would've made their banter easier to follow.

"Okay." Bo said with finality, pulling Kenzi from her thoughts. "Here goes nothing." She opened the door and jumped out of the car, walking around to open the backseat door where Kenzi carefully slid Tamsin into her waiting arms. "Thanks, Kenz," she said, glancing down at Tamsin upon the realization of how light the woman was. Somehow that thought was a comfort.

"Sure." Bo checked her hold on the blonde and then spun on her heel and started towards the blackened front door.

She stopped when Kenzi called out to her. "Be careful, Bobo… will you?"

"Promise." At that, she, with Tamsin's trembling frame cradled in her arms, her head rested against her chest, strutted over to the main entrance to the building.

As she strode through the abandoned hallways, her mind desperately trying to ignore the major creepy factor emitting from the flickering lights above her head and the cracked tiles beneath her feet. She held Tamsin a bit tighter, sending light, pulsing waves of charm from her hand and into the blonde. It was then, with a light gasp, that the valkyrie awoke, her eyes easing open against the small amount of harsh light that invaded her vision. She coughed, digging her head into Bo's chest, just beneath the brunette's collar bone.

Bo stopped, lowering herself down to prop the blonde up against the wall to her right. "Tamsin?" She asked, gingerly peeling some of the valkyrie's damp hair from her cheek and brushing it aside. She looked so disheveled, sickly… but oddly enough, despite the beads of sweat, the red in her eyes and the darkened bags beneath them, the pale skin, she was beautiful. Her blue-green eyes, though tired and unfocussed, still shone brightly in the dimly lit hallway and the light smirk that formed on her face as Bo came into sight momentarily made all of the Succubus' worries melt away. "How you feeling?"

"Like I could use some vodka," Tamsin replied, blinking groggily.

"Maybe I'll get you some a bit later." Bo let out a short laugh, resting her hand on Tamsin's cheek as their eyes met."But seriously… how do you feel?"

"I imagine," Tamsin groaned, "you already know the answer to that question." She lifted her arm, muttering a few curses at how difficult the action was, pressing her palm against her forehead. "Fuck. Poison."

"How'd you know?" Bo asked.

"I've been poisoned enough times to know what it feels like. Was it your bitch of a—"

"Yes. It was Lauren."

"Fan-fucking…tastic." Tamsin's eyes were heavy. They were so heavy. She could feel them begin to droop as the pain in her head grew in magnitude. "She did a good job, though. Feels like my skin's on fire," she said after a few moments of trying to catch her breath.

Seeing the valkyrie begin to fade, Bo rested her other hand on the side of Tamsin's face, lifting the valkyrie's head up so that her drooping eyes met Bo's. "I'm going to fix this," Bo said. She had a strange sensation to pull the valkyrie into an embrace, but thought better of it. "I promise, okay?"

"You can't… fix everything—"

"Maybe not. But this… this I can fix. Whatever it takes."

"Strangely," her words began to slur as unconsciousness nipped at her, "I believe…you."

"Good," Bo said, positioning herself at Tamsin's side. "Because it's true." With that, she scooped Tamsin back into her arms and carefully rose back up to the ground. The valkyrie's head fell against Bo's chest, fighting to keep her eyes open and her breath even.

"Drop me," Tamsin panted, her voice weak and raspy, "and I'll kill you."

"Is that a promise?"

"You bet."

* * *

At the end of the long hallway was a single door, which stood peculiarly pristine and white among the scorched walls that surrounded it. With the inhalation of a single heavy breath, Bo shoved the door open, her grip on Tamsin tightening as the bright white light of room beyond flooded into her vision. Finally, once her eyes adjusted to the light, a large, white room came into sight. Light gray lab tables stood on either side of the room, chemicals in various glass containers set upon their surfaces.

"Bo."

Bo spun around upon hearing her name, turning to meet Lauren's steady and cold gaze. "Lauren."

"It's good you came."

"That's right. I came." She glanced down at Tamsin. "Now save her."

A sardonic smile became evident on her face. "I can't do that, Bo."

Bo's expression hardened. "What?"

"I can't save her, Bo. That's not what He wants." Bo could hear Tamsin let out a muffled, short laugh, but chose to ignore it.

"Then why am I here?" Bo asked, holding Tamsin, almost protectively, closer to her chest.

"He wants you to be with him, Bo—"

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

"He knows you can be prosperous at his side. You will meet your true potential—"

"Lauren, no offense, but shut the hell up." Bo took a few steps back, glancing around the room. "Where are your goons, Lauren?"

"Awaiting my order… but I was hoping I wouldn't have to give it. Bo, he can help you—"

"Lauren, either you're going to save Tamsin willingly, or I'm going to make you."

Lauren let out a short, enthused laugh. "I'm not going to save her, Bo."

"Then we have a little bit of a problem here." Bo spun around, scanning the room around her. She spotted a medical bed in the far corner and, giving Lauren a glaring glance, walked over to it and placed Tamsin atop its white cushioned surface. She leaned over Tamsin, her face mere inches from the other woman's. "I promised, right?"

Tamsin, her tired eyes searching deep within Bo's, nodded. Her chest rose and fell with her heavy breath.

"Then don't worry about anything, okay?" Bo's hair was falling onto Tamsin's damp shoulders, her warm breath pressing against the blonde's face.

"…K…"

Bo reached two hands up, taking Tamsin's face into their light grip and lowering her own lips down to meet the valkyrie's forehead.

"What was that for?" Tamsin asked as Bo released her head, placing it back down onto the cushioned surface beneath it.

"Luck." Bo answered quickly.

"Oh."

"Alright," the succubus said, her thumb lightly wiping at the hair stuck to Tamsin's forehead, "here goes nothing." She made to turn around, but was stopped when Tamsin's hand took hold of her wrist.

"You don't have to do this, Bo," Tamsin said, turning her head to the side suddenly towards the end of the statement when she was thrown into a coughing fit. Her hand released Bo's wrist, rising up to cover her mouth. Bo placed a comforting hand on Tamsin's arm, waiting for the woman to settle. She finally did, pulling her hand away, small splatters of blood now staining her palm. Bo took the other woman's hand into her own, glancing down at the blood with a deep, angered look in her eyes. After a long minute of failed attempts at calming herself, she folded Tamsin's hand closed.

"I really do." She said, patting the blonde's knuckles before placing Tamsin's arm at her side and turning around to face Lauren. As soon as she turned, she heard Tamsin let out a pained cry, and she had to fight her body's command to spin back around and pull the woman into an embrace. No, she had a job to do. And at that, she charged forward.

Lauren was ready for her this time, she took a single step back, and suddenly, with the nod of her head, four large black-clad figures appeared before her in a flash of white light. But this didn't stop Bo from continuing her forward movement. She sidestepped a heavy fist to her head, countering the owner of the fist with an upper cut to the chin. He stumbled backwards, crashing into the figure that stood behind him. Both of them tumbled to the ground.

Bo didn't stop. She continued forward, gripping the next oncoming attacker by the throat and pulling his face close to hers. A long stream of blue energy flowed from his mouth and into hers, his eyes dark eyes locked onto her glowing blue ones, fear and anger reflected in them. After a few long seconds of that, the stream ceased to flow and the man fell to the floor unconscious.

Suddenly, literally out of nowhere, three equally as large men appeared around Bo. They towered over her small form, their toned muscles flexed and their menacingly cold eyes locked onto her. At precisely the same time, in complete sync, all three men began their advance towards Bo, the last of the three conscious members of the previous wave joining in the onslaught. Bo was surrounded. The three obscenely large men reached her in seconds, enormous fists hurtling towards the succubus' face. She ducked, narrowly avoiding what could have easily been a lights-out scenario, but there was no break. Right as she ducked, the three men sent their free hands on a collision course towards her torso. There was no escape. Only two thoughts ran through her mind in that moment: 'this is going to hurt,' and 'I'm sorry, Tamsin.'

* * *

**A/N: **Alright, alright. Don't kill me. If you want anyone's blood, you should most definitely go after the author of "perfect stranger" ( u/4754565/). She's to blame for this massive delay. Entirely to blame.

I had originally intended to kind of throw together this entire chunk of plot that I had planned because I _really _just wanted to get to the chunk of plot after that, but since *cough* **( u/4754565/ )***cough* has taken up so much of my time *cough*, I decided to just tie up what I had of this chapter, which just so happened to be an obnoxious amount, and split the chunk of plot up into two decently large chapters. So, here's the first. Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

Reviews are nice. Jussayin. :P Thanks for reading!


	16. The Cure

**A/N: Gah, don't hate me. I was working on my collab fic, and I was stuck! This chapter had me second guessing myself at every turn. So I settled on this... which isn't as great as it could've been. Whatever. I tried. Moving on to the more fun stuff soon. **

**I realize there could've been a lot more actiony stuff, but I opted on sticking to the internal battles... only because it helped me move through this chapter a lot faster. **

**Weh. Enjoy! **

PS: If you haven't already, and you're madly in love with valkubus (and sprinkles of our beloved Kenzi) you should totally check out my collab fic. Valkubusy 's called "In Chaos and Shadows." It might even help you be more understanding towards my awful delays. That one's been consuming my life as of late.

* * *

Then suddenly, the fists' momentum halted, the men's knuckles lingering a few inches before Bo's face on all sides. The succubus eased one eye open at a time, glancing around at the towering figures, a smile playing on her lips at the look of helpless fear in their widened eyes. "Took you long enough," she remarked, a hint of frustration in her tone as she rose from her crouched position and shoving the three men aside. They all fell to the ground, their bodies trembling as they desperately tried to break free of the force that held them.

"Sorry, sorry. Got a bit lost in the hallways, this place is a bloody maze." Vex stepped out from behind a shelf—one lined with countless colourfully filled test tubes and beakers—his right hand extended towards the men on the ground. "Looks like you saved me a few."

Bo smiled. "We did promise you there'd be heads to bash."

"That you did." Just then, with the twitch of Vex's outstretched hand, the men all lifted from the ground, their bodies hovering in place as a smile crept up on the mesmer's face.

"Try not to make too much of a mess," Bo said to Vex, her eyes slowly making their rounds of the room until they rested angrily on Lauren. "You didn't think I'd come without backup, did you?" She asked, smirking at the look of confused terror on the doctor's face, though that soon faded. She began a slow approach, the low heels of her boots pressing against the ground with a heavy 'clack' following each step. "Now," Bo said, her smile fading away, determination consuming her expression as Dyson appeared from behind a doorway to her left, joining her in cornering Lauren, "how about that cure?"

A light, chilling smile played on Lauren's lips, her back bumping up against the wall behind her. "You think you've beaten me, is that it?" Another stalky figure appeared before Bo, but he didn't faze her. Practically the moment he appeared, Bo's hand gripped the collar of his muscle shirt, drawing him close as she tore the life essence from his body. She dropped him at Lauren's feet, her radiant blue eyes flashing hungrily at the doctor.

"That's no matter." Lauren hard exterior hadn't changed, though inside she shook ferociously, fear gripping at her core. Something inside of her was whispering to her, speaking to her fears of her death… her end at the hands of the person she was fighting for. But there was a fog there. _Fighting for. _What was she fighting for? Who was she fighting for.

_Bo. _She was fighting for Bo. No. Not just Bo. She was fighting for him.

Bo's hand fell to the pocket of the leather jacket she was wearing, her eyes still locked onto the doctor's chuckling form.

"So you surprised me with the Mesmer," the doctor said, "but my plan allows for contingencies."

"Really?" Bo asked as she lifted from her pocket the syringe that Lauren had left behind in her hurried escape from the shack. The small amount of pale liquid danced about inside the barrel of the tool as Bo shook it. "How about this contingency?" She pressed the tip of the needle against a marked spot on the crook of her arm.

Lauren froze, her eyes zeroing in on the needle. "B-Bo. Now, don't do anything rash—"

"Oh, Lauren," Bo said, sliding the needle into her arm and pressing down on the plunger, "I already have."

"No!" Lauren burst past Dyson, running over to where Bo stood pulling the needle from her arm. "No, no, no," Lauren muttered to herself, taking Bo's arm into her hands. "What have you done? You fool!"

Bo pulled her arm from Lauren's grip, taking a few steps back. "Cure us," she spat, each syllable dripping with all the power and venom she could muster.

"I-I…"Lauren, in some way, in the dark recesses of her mind, had seen this coming. Her hands shook, her brown eyes locked on Bo's arm, her body and mind stupefied. She had seen this coming, and yet the hurt, the shock… the terror remained. She _knew _that Bo wouldn't accept the cure unless it was delivered to Tamsin first, and that stand alone fact was enough to set her emotions on a frenzy that she in no uncertain way could control. She was thrown into a hysterical fit, ripping the syringe from Bo's hands and, riding a wave of an utter desire for destruction, she threw the syringe on the ground, smashing the already cracked barrel with her heel. She then reached into her pocket, her trembling hand taking hold of a small vial, lifting it out and tightly gripping it.

The doctor let out a short laugh, lightly shaking the bottle in her clenched fist. "You know," she said, "I hadn't planned on making a cure. I figured there was no need… because everything would work out and that—that bitch would die."

Bo just stared at the blonde before her, a questioning, but angry, look on her face.

"But He—oh, He's a smart one. He _told _me that you might do something like this. That you might let your passion and your gut and your—your—"

"Heart," Bo said simply. "My heart."

Lauren took a breath. "He said you would let it consume you. You would _sacrifice_ yourself to—but she doesn't deserve it, Bo."

"That's not for you to decide."

"And how is it for _you_ to decide? When He—He who is so powerful and-and great—wishes it to be. He, your flesh and your blood. Your lineage." Lauren's eyes had been fixed on her fist… the anger washing over her like a heavy tidal wave—dragging her down to its very depths.

"Lauren." The doctor's gaze was lifted, her crazed eyes locking onto Bo's determined ones. "Give me the damn cure."

"Or what?" Lauren asked, taking a few heavy steps back. "You'll kill me?"

A hint of emotion—sadness—flashed across Bo's face as memories flooded in. Memories of the first time she met Lauren, their first touch, their first kiss, their first night together… and every night after that. _Kill _Lauren? Taking the time to consider the thought made her mind go numb, her emotions beginning to drown her in their powerful essence. For a moment, albeit a brief one, she was lost. Lost in her mind, in her thoughts. She couldn't breathe, the weight of the situation pressing down on her, the fear and the uncertainty and the lack of control ripping at her flesh and tearing down deep into her bones. There was no escape, no place to run, no place to hide… and one simple move could get everyone killed. One wrong word. One wrong turn.

And then there was one very simple thing that brought her rushing back to reality. It screamed at her, forcing back her doubt and her fear and clearing the way for something more powerful than she could ever have fathomed. And somewhere amidst all of that was a single sound. A whisper. A word. A name.

_Tamsin. _Tamsin. "Tamsin."

"What?" Lauren asked, her voice quivering with rage.

"I'm going to save Tamsin."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Any hint of calmness that had been on Bo's face was abandoned as the determination and anger rushed back. She spun around, her eyes scanning the room for something… someone… "Vex!"

The Mesmer froze in place, his hands still extended, fingers twitching, a single conscious figure dangling in the air a few feet away. "What?" He asked. "D'you mind?"

"Actually, no. But I need you."

"Bo," Lauren warned.

Bo turned back around to face the doctor, her expression hard as she, almost mechanically, brought up a fist, knuckles meeting the flesh covered bone of Lauren's jaw. The human fell to the floor, shocked by the sudden painful impact. "Vex, I'm not asking!"

Impatiently, irritation clearly written on his expression, the Mesmer released his prey, stalking over to where the succubus stood looming over the blonde doctor. "Nice punch. Though, I think I'm missing something here."

"Kenzi'll fill in the blanks later. Right now, I need you to restrain her."

A twisted, playful smile made its way onto Vex's lips as he outstretched his arm, his fingers all rigidly directed at Lauren, who was slowly and angrily rising to her feet, hysterical roar-like yells tearing from her throat. "Here goes," Vex mused quietly to himself, his smile broadening as the human's struggle ceased, her body frozen in a firm position, not the slightest sign of opposition in her still state. "Humans aren't quite as much fun," the mesmer murmured, lifting Lauren off of the ground. "They don't have it in them to physically fight back, really."

"Yeah, well… sorry." Bo said, ignoring Lauren's enraged screams for Vex to release her. "Now…" The succubus let her eyes wander for a moment, following the immaculate white walls, past the rows of laboratory tables, and gently resting her gaze on Tamsin. The valkyrie lay on the cot she had been placed on, her almost scared green eyes locked onto Bo. She was trembling. Shaking and sweating, one hand gripping at the cloth of her shirt that rested on her chest. Her breath was heavy, her eyelids falling here and there as exhaustion fought its way to the surface. She was slipping closer and closer to the edge with every shaky breath that she took, forcing Bo to turn her attention back to Lauren as the clock began ticking again in her mind. "Her hand, Vex."

Vex's stare followed Bo's direction, meeting the doctor's right hand, the vial just barely in sight. He sighed as he twitched his index finger, Lauren's arm shooting up before her so that it hovered before Bo. "There ya go."

"Thanks." Bo reached out, taking Lauren's wrist into her hand, tugging it closer. She tore at the woman's fingers, pulling them aside slowly to reveal the small vial. "I guess I owe dear old dad a half-hearted thanks."

Dyson stepped up behind Bo, blood painting his shirt, his bare fore-arms, and his hands. "I don't think he deserves it."

Bo sighed, lifting the small vial from the doctor's hand. "I guess not." She glanced around the room. "Someone find me a syringe."

Kenzi appeared beside Dyson, her blood stained katana resting on her shoulder, a fresh syringe that she'd found sitting on one of the lab tables in hand.

"Wh-when did you come in?" Bo asked. "I thought the plan was for you to lay low unless Lauren came out or something."

"I didn't like that plan," Kenzi responded. "It was stupid plan."

Bo smiled, comforted by the small human's presence. She glanced at the sword. "Have fun, did we?" She asked, taking the syringe from Kenzi's hand.

Kenzi nodded, following Bo as she began her hurried walk over to Tamsin's side. She more than frowned as Tamsin's practically seizing form came into sight, rushing to drain the small bottle of its contents. There wasn't much in it, but it was enough, she told herself. It had to be enough.

"You've got this, Bobo," Kenzi said, grabbing Tamsin's arm and holding it out to Bo, firmly stabilizing the shaking limb.

Bo took a breath to compose herself, calming the rage within her with the comforting thought of the cure for Tamsin resting in her hands. Steadily she leaned the tip of the needle down, carefully sliding it into the vein marked from Lauren's assault earlier and pressing down on the plunger.

The valkyrie's eyes wearily fell to her arm, watching as the liquid drained from the syringe, but too tired to really bother with the specifics. She could feel the pain falling away as the darkness consumed her, blurring Bo's face, though she could just barely feel her gentle touch as their hands conjoined, fingers intertwining. Soon thereafter Tamsin's eyelids fluttered shut, her head slowly lolling to the side as the human the succubus stared down at her.

After a long pause, Kenzi decided to break the silence of Bo's anticipation, realizing Tamsin wasn't likely to wake up any time soon. "You think it worked?" She asked.

"It had to have," Bo murmured, her gaze transfixed on the valkyrie's gentle features.

"Right."


	17. Fight

**A/N: Well, it's official, I'm an awful person. But I maintain that these delays are entirely Eternal's fault. That bitch. :P**

**Anywho. A bit more of an internal chapter for Tamsin. Prepare yourselves. Badassness on all levels is approaching. I think. Anywho, enjoy! **

**Stick with me. I promise I'm still writing this. Pinky swear. **

* * *

Light poured in through the cracks in the wooden planked walls, blanketing the room in its gentle glow as the sun slowly rose into the early morning sky. Tamsin's eyes opened slowly, blue-green irises practically glowing against the rays of warm sunlight that fell softly across her paled face. She could feel the exhaustion looming over her, its presence like a weight upon her chest, accompanied by the all-too-familiar feeling of bruised and aching bones protesting her movement as she attempted to sit up, failing in the action and collapsing back onto the bed.

Calming herself, she attempted to focus on her surroundings rather than the shitty state of her body. She couldn't make out where she was, though the soft surface that rested beneath her sore frame felt familiar, and the thick, sweet smell that lingered in the air above her made her feel oddly at home.

_Home_. The thought felt strange to her, like some distant memory … a long forgotten dream that had fallen away with time, piece by piece, crumbling as new thoughts and experiences had flooded her existence. And there were so many. So many new things. The death, and the pain, and the hatred piled up like a pit of still corpses, every single one burnt to crisp, utterly unidentifiable, by raiders or victors in the battle of a time long forgotten.

But it wasn't all bad. Beneath the rising smoke, the scorched skeletal frames, and the blackened ash that blanketed the entirety of the scene existed something serene. Something bright—something good. Tamsin could feel it there, resting dormant in her deepest, furthest thoughts. If only she could touch it.

"Hey." The valkyrie's longing thoughts suddenly dissolved away into the very recesses of her mind, drowned out by the simple sound—a single syllable—of Bo's kind, caring voice. "You're awake." It carried over to her like a song, clearing the smoke in her mind and awakening her.

The blonde turned her head slowly, eyes locking onto the blurred image of the succubus before her. Why was everything so blurry? "Bo?"

"I'm here." The brunette's figure seated itself beside Tamsin.

"Why is everything…" the words were lost in her throat as another figure approached Bo from behind. It stood dark and tall, stalking ever-so-slowly over to where the succubus sat at Tamsin's side. She couldn't make out who it was. Dyson? Vex?

"And how is our valkyrie?" That voice. The valkyrie could feel chills running down her spine, numbing her body as it reverberated through her ears. Tamsin knew that voice. It had this particular sound about it… this empty, cold echo that wrapped around the words and claimed them as its own. And the blonde would never admit it for fear of... well, the loss of her sanity—her resolve, but that voice scared her. _No_. It terrified her. It could take hold of her like set of rattling chains, scraping against a cement floor as they slithered up her legs and her arms, tightening and tightening until she was certain no blood could reach her extremities. It bound her to its will in ways she never thought possible. But there was something within her—something that she had developed recently… a strength—or a light—that illuminated her soul and her thoughts. It whispered a single word to her. Over and over again.

_'Fight.' _The word stood out proudly in her mind. She could. She could fight. She would.

"Awake," Bo answered, her voice once again pulling Tamsin from her thoughts as the figure stopped behind the brunette's form, large hands resting on small shoulders.

"That's good to hear." Tamsin could practically hear the sardonic grin forming on his lips. He was mocking her.

The valkyrie's vision slowly began to clear, the colourful blurs that had surrounded her starting to melt together into crisp, shaky, images. Shaky images that began to register in her mind as various objects and people respectively. Bo. Bo's shirt. Bo's hair. The light. The bed. And then… _him_. His semi-long dark brown hair loosely dangled in face as dark brown eyes coolly gazed at the blonde and a light smile played on his lips.

_No._ No. "No…"

"What is it Tamsin?" Bo asked, reaching forward to place a gentle hand on the valkyrie's cheek. "Is everything okay?" The valkyrie almost lost her train of thought at the succubus' touch, the heat from her hand igniting a flurry of emotions within her. But alas, the fear of danger—the fear of him, was enough to keep her mind focused.

"It's h-him."

The man smiled a crooked smile, his wrinkled skin twisting up at the edge of his lips and the sides of his eyes.

"He's my father, Tamsin," Bo said slowly, reaching her free hand back to grip the man's hand, its thick form still resting heavily on her shoulders.

The blonde opened her mouth to speak, but, as if some force had snatched the words from the air before her, nothing came out. Not a sound.

"He's here to help."

His twisted smile grew wider, head lowering as a sinister look consumed his expression. Tamsin could feel an uneasiness rise within her, fear gripping at her very core in apprehension of what was expected to come.

"He says he can help me. Help me get stronger. Isn't that great?"

_Great. _Tamsin's eyes grew wide as the large hands began to glide along Bo's shoulders and up to her neck, thick skin pressing against her throat so quickly and so suddenly that the succubus hadn't the chance to fight back. There was only the struggle… the clawing and pulling at his hands, the gasping for air. The valkyrie fought to sit up, her will to end the wander's life in that instant so powerful that it made her body shake, but a familiar, chilling force bound her to the bed, firmly holding her in place.

So she watched, for she could not bring herself to look away, as Bo took in her last breath, confused terror in her eyes. She felt the weight of the brunette's body upon her chest, and she glared into the empty brown eyes of the man that stood before her, the image of his sadistic smile burning itself into her subconscious.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" He said, taking a step back as a thick black smoke began to twist up from the ground, seeping through the wooden floor paneling. He gave Tamsin, gesturing to Bo's body, one last merciless grin before his well-dressed frame became completely consumed. Moments later, the black substance vanished along with the figure it had enveloped in itself, and all that remained in the room was Bo, her still form growing oddly and numbingly cold, and Tamsin, a single thought screaming at her as her gaze fell upon the succubus' body. Green eyes met lifeless brown ones.

It did hurt. She could feel the sharp pain jabbing at her chest, like a knife poking at her skin, teasing her mockingly… threatening to steal the life from her, to steal her strength. But she wouldn't let it.

_No. _She would kill him first.

* * *

"Ah!" Tamsin jumped awake, her body flying forward as her heart pounded inside of her chest. Her heavy breaths, the panic-filled rhythmic and shaky inhaling and exhaling, occupied the silent and still room with its jagged sound.

"Tamsin?" The valkyrie turned her gaze to the stairway, her eyes falling on Bo, her expression betraying her concern. The succubus crossed the room in a flash, appearing at the blonde's side. "What's wrong? Is everything okay? How are you feeling?"

"What? I—uh…" Tamsin was tired. The world around her seemed to exist in some state of slow motion, Bo's words slurring into a mesh of strange and confusing sounds that the valkyrie could just barely manage to make out as words.

"Are you okay?" The succubus' gentle hand rested beneath the blonde's chin, pushing her head up so that their eyes met.

"I—fine. Yeah." Tamsin could feel her senses returning to her, the slight blurry film in her vision melting away and the world slowly beginning to catch up to her. The sensation was a bit dizzying, causing her eyes to droop a bit, her body leaning forward, almost doubling over, as the exhaustion hit her. Her hunched over form was quickly met by Bo's strong grip. Tamsin gazed up at Bo, almost smiling at the look of worry on her tired expression.

"What was with the yelling?" Bo asked, chocolate brown eyes searching glossy green ones. "Are you in pain?"

Tamsin shook her head. "No. I… It was just a dream. I'm fine now."

Bo dropped her hands, smiling slightly as Tamsin leaned back and propped herself up against the bedframe. "Well, must've been some dream."

"…it was." The blonde's eyes remained locked on the brunette's, her confused and weary gaze fighting against the urging will to look away.

A small silence fell upon the two women, neither sure of where to go with the remainder of their conversation, until Bo was reminded of Tamsin's state before her awakening. "Are you feeling okay? I was—I mean—I—"

Tamsin's eyes widened with realization, her mind rushing back to the events that had unfolded before she last blacked out. "Shit. The poison."

"Yeah. You had us scared there for a little while."

"No, no…" Tamsin shook her head vigorous and frustrated dissatisfaction, reaching forward and taking Bo's arm in her hand, twisting it around to inspect where she had injected herself. "You—uh—the-the poison…"

The succubus rested her free hand on the blonde's, her tender smile somehow soothing Tamsin's worries instantly. "It was water."

"No, it was—what? Water?"

"Yeah. Kenzi convinced me it would be a better plan than actually poisoning myself." Bo paused, her smile softening. "But I—I had planned to use the…I would've done it."

"Why?" Tamsin breathed incredulously.

"I don't… know, exactly."

Tamsin let her gaze lower, her mind wandering a bit as she desperately tried to force back the uncharacteristic pool of emotion swelling up inside of her. Bo watched in silence, her own contradicting and confused thoughts swirling about in her mind. She hadn't a clue what had come over her… the peculiar and sudden urge to protect Tamsin. The actions she had taken… what she had been willing to do… it all seemed so strange to her. To Tamsin. None of it made any sense to either of them.

Just then, they were torn from their silent reflection as an overly excited, small, dark haired human appeared in the doorway. "Oh, look who's awake," Kenzi said, a broad and jubilant smiled plastered on her face as she crossed the room and plopped down onto the bed beside Tamsin. She glanced at Bo. "Looks like I win. 25 hours."

Tamsin looked between the two girls, a confused and slightly worried expression on her face. "25 hours for what?" She asked.

"Also, when were you planning on telling me that she woke up, exactly?"

The succubus sighed. "Forgive me, oh wonderful and mighty Kenzi," she mocked, reaching into her bra and slipping out a few bills. She reluctantly reached forward, dropping the cash into the human's beckoning hand.

"Thank you," Kenzi said. "We appreciate your business."

"Oh, shut up. It was luck."

"Luck!?" Kenzi placed a hand over her chest dramatically, a look of mock offense on her face. "I say! Gambling is an art!"

Tamsin's confusion only furthered. "What? Gambling? 25 hours?" She looked to Bo, who offered her a slight apologetic smile. "Kenzi insisted that we all bet on how long it would take you to wake up."

The human smiled. "Something had to lighten the mood, and the cashola always does the trick."

"Oh… wait, 25 hours!?" Tamsin threw herself forward again, flinging her legs over the edge of the bed and rising to her feet. As the weight of her body fell onto her tired legs, Tamsin began to crumble to the ground, her inevitable collision with the hard, wooden surface arrested as Bo's arms wrapped around the valkyrie's shoulders, drawing her back and onto the bed.

The blonde let out a shaky breath.

"You just woke up, Tamsin," Bo said, slowly removing her hands from the frustrated woman's shoulders. "Just try and take it easy, will you?"

"Yeah, Tammy… that poison looked like it really did a number on you. And you still look a little vampirish."

The valkyrie sighed, ignoring the human's note on her less than ideal physical appearance. "What happened with Lauren?" She asked after a long pause, deciding to shift the conversation from her as she fixed her eyes on the floor, tracing the light grains in the wood.

"We got her. Now all we have to do is figure this whole brain washing thing out and—"

"There's more to all of this than just getting Lauren back," the valkyrie stated, turning her gaze to Bo. Tamsin cursed herself for letting the words come out in such an austere manner, but the message had to be received. She knew that Bo would put everything on hold to save those she cared about. It was somehow both her greatest flaw and her greatest strength.

"Yeah, well, we need her back," Bo stammered, a bit taken aback by the harshness of the blonde's tone.

Tamsin let out a short laugh. "Whatever you say, Succubus. You're the boss." There was no fighting it. There was no fighting Bo. "Now, I need a bath."

* * *

Tamsin rested her head back against the tub, letting her eyes flutter shut as the warmth of the water flooded into her body. She could feel herself relaxing into it, her sore and aching muscles becoming distant memories almost instantaneously. Her bruises had nearly healed, small brown marks taking the place of the thick purplish spots that had previously claimed her torso.

It almost seemed as if, with the gentle flow of the water rippling over her body, Tamsin's worries melted away. She felt oddly contempt in the moment, not at all concerned with what the next day would bring or the troubles she would soon have to face. She was free, and that thought alone formed a smile on her lips as she further settled into the tub.

She sat there like that for what felt like hours, the water lightly splashing up against her neck as she drifted in and out of sleep. She had just opened her eyes, frowning at how cool the water had managed to get, when the obnoxiously loud and rhythmic sound of heels making contact with the hard wood floor flooded the small room. Tamsin groaned aloud at her shattered silence, rolling her head to the side to see who it was that had so gracefully interrupted her quiet moment of reflection.

"Don't you just look comfy?"

Tamsin smiled lightly, blue-green eyes locking onto icy blue ones. "Is it normal for you to just barge in on someone's bath?" She asked teasingly, straightening up a bit with a slight wince, the bruises on her stomach lightly protesting the small action.

"I find it's a good time to corner a person." Kenzi strode over to the tub, lowering herself to the ground and leaning her back against the porcelain surface, her head facing away from the valkyrie. "Besides," she said, casting a quick, mischievous glance over at the blonde, "I hear I'm not the only one."

Tamsin looked away, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. "I would like to put it on record that I was incredibly drunk when I did that."

Kenzi laughed. "Noted."

The two women sat there in silence for a short while, both listening to the way the water splashed up against the walls of the tub, its sound lingering in the silence of the room. It was Tamsin who spoke first, her tone gentle and calm. "It's me, isn't it?" She asked quietly.

"It would seem so."

"I made a mistake," the valkyrie sighed. "I shouldn't have come to her."

"What else could you have done?"

"I could have faced him." A sad smiled pulled at Tamsin's lips. "I could have killed him."

Kenzi spun around, leaning against the edge of the tub as her eyes locked onto the valkyrie's. "She _wants_ to protect you."

A light laugh escaped Tamin's mouth. "Funny thing is that she's the one who needs the protecting."

"We can keep you both safe. Together."

Tamsin took a moment to consider this. "Why did you come in here?"

"I feel like I know you…" Kenzi murmured, leaning in closer as she rested her chin on her arms. She peered at Tamsin, her expression completely serious… a look Tamsin had never seen on the small human's face before. She wasn't quite sure if it scared her or comforted her, the woman's steely gaze seeming to see something more than just the shields that Tamsin put up. "I've seen the way you two look at each other."

"What way would that be?"

"Longingly. Lovingly."

Tamsin scoffed. "You're batshit crazy."

"Maybe so… but I _do_ know that you were planning on skipping out tonight."

The valkyrie remained silent.

"What was your plan?" The human asked. "Were you just gonna hand yourself over to him? Let him have his way with you?"

"I was going to kill him."

"How?"

"I… I don't know." Tamsin's head lowered.

"He would've killed _you_."

"You say that as if he hasn't been trying to all along."

"Tamsin."

"What?"

"Stay." Kenzi smiled. "You can become my official drinking buddy," she said, her tone lifting slightly.

"Isn't that Bo?"

"Sometimes. But I need someone more regular."

"What do you think we can do?" Tamsin asked, turning back to the serious portion of the conversation.

"Fight."

_Fight. _Of course. The word brought a genuine smile to Tamsin's lips, her eyes lifting to meet the grinning human's. "Fight?"

"Together. The whole gang."

"And what makes you so sure that fighting with you will end any better?"

"We have Bo."

Tamsin's smile broadened. "Yeah. I guess you do."

"She won't fight without you," Kenzi said after a short silence. "You're a part of us now. A part of her."

"I'm not a very useful part… not anymore."

"You are to her. She wants you by her side."

"Has she told you this?"

Kenzi smiled, nudging Tamsin's arm slightly. "I'm Kenzi. She doesn't need to." At that, the human rose to her feet, flashing the valkyrie one last gleaming smile before turning on her heel and marching away.

The blonde sat there for a little while longer, leaning her head back against the tub as the thoughts began to roll around in her head. "Useful to her…" she breathed. "Well, shit."


	18. Determined

**A/N: Oh my god. I finally did it. I promise you I' ve been working on this since the day I posted the last chapter… and then life happened and writer's block happened and the collab happened and daily chats with eternal happened and… I'm sorry. :P **

**This is it. 3037 words of developing plot, thoughts, angst, valkubus and… yeah, that's pretty much it. I wrote words, guise. **

**Anywho, I will try very hard to make sure it's not another eternity before the next update. Hopefully I can actually get into the actual action with the next chapter. So, enjoy. I'm sorry. And you guys are awesome for sticking with me.**

**If you must blame someone that hopefully isn't me, you know the drill, blame eternal.  
**

* * *

**CHAPTER 18**

Silence gripped the group. The five of them sat and stood scattered about the front room of the shack, identical expressions held on their weary faces. A foreboding sense lingered in the air above them. It was strong, powerful—filled with an immense greatness that poured into their lungs and pressed heavily down upon their chests.

_It was him. _

They could feel his presence consuming their thoughts, extinguishing their every hope, bringing to the ground every high-built wall and fortification that they previously used to keep him out.

"What is he?" Bo asked. She took her seat on the coffee table across from the couch where Tamsin and Kenzi sat. The ominous stillness in the room had set her on edge, the light furrow in her brow evidence of her discomfort.

Tamsin smiled lightly. She was hesitant at first to allow the memories to come forward, the fear already settling upon her. Her eyes lifted to meet Bo's, and suddenly any hint of reluctance - of disinclination - melted away. She could feel the terror inside of her—the sinking feeling of dread that screamed at her to stop, to run, to forget—falling away with every breath she took. And then she spoke. "Oh—God… he's a lot things. A lot of powerful, and-and _dark_ things."

"He's my father." The words were so simple, but there was shakiness to Bo's tone—that edge of, not fear, but hatred... anger. It drenched her words, enveloping the image of him that she held in her mind into itself.

"Yeah."

The next to speak was Trick. He lifted his gaze to Tamsin, the seriousness of the situation reflected in his tired eyes. "What does he want?"

"Bo." Tamsin could feel the rest of the group tense at the name, anger gripping each of them.

"So, what else do we need to know? Let's hunt this bastard down and end him." All eyes turned to Kenzi. "What? We fight bad things. From what I can see, he's the fucking baddest of them all."

"It's not that simple, Kenzi," Tamsin murmured, hugging tighter to her knees. "He's a lot stronger than you think."

"Tamsin," Bo said, placing a hand a top Tamsin's. The action pulled the valkyrie's attention back to her. "What is he? What type of fae?"

"I don't know."

"What?"

Tamsin sighed. "I've heard stories. Some say he was human… others say he was born a necromancer—"

As soon as the word had left the valkyrie's lips, Trick moved to cross the room, taking a stand beside Bo. He gazed at Tamsin, his unreadable eyes searching hers for something—some hint of dishonesty. He leaned back when he saw none. "A necromancer, you say?"

"It's just what I've heard."

"You said—before—that he's powerful." Trick sighed. "How powerful?"

"I… he's gained a lot of power of the years."

Trick's eyes grew wide. "I thought that practice died out millennias ago."

"Well, where there is a necromancer…"

"So he steals abilities. But that doesn't explain why he would want Bo… unless—"

Tamsin sighed.

"What? What is it guys?" Bo glanced between her grandfather and the valkyrie, confusion etched on her tired face. The two elder fae exchanged knowing looks, a hint of fear in their eyes. "Guys?"

Tamsin sighed as the brunette's pleading, confused gaze fell on her. "It's just… we think that… your father wants…"

"He wants your abilities, Bo," Trick finished.

"What? Wh-why?"

"You're his daughter."

"And?"

"And you're fucking powerful, succubus. I don't know if you noticed," Tamsin muttered, burying her head into her knees. She just wanted to sleep—to close her eyes and drift off quietly, to forget about Him and his selfish, power-hungry desires for a few hours. _Just a few hours_. She nearly succumbed to the desire, the thought interrupted as Bo spoke, her voice pulling Tamsin back.

"Tamsin." The valkyrie looked into the brunette's eyes, and for a moment, they just stared – neither willing to speak – until the urgency of the moment enveloped them again. "How do we stop him?"

"I—I don't know."

"Well, what were you supposed to do?" Trick asked. His tone was gentle, not at all harsh as Tamsin had almost expected it to be. He somehow spoke as if he could see through her mask, as if he understood what it was she had done – the courage it took the stand against him – the choice to die at his hand.

"To bring her to him."

"How? Where? When?"

"We need details, Tamsin," Dyson stated sympathetically, moving behind Tamsin and placing his hands reassuringly on her shoulders. Usually, to her, the gentle touch would've been gag-worthy, but in this moment – when her body and her mind and her resolve stood weak – she relished in it. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, allowing her body to relax as she continued to recall the events that had led her to this point.

"There was a bottle… a rune glass bottle."

"Was there a druid?" Trick asked.

"Yes."

"Wait. What? A rune what, now?" Kenzi interjected.

Trick sighed. "A rune bottle. The bottle itself isn't necessarily significant," he began, "it's the runes that hold the power—"

"Runes? Those magical symbol thingies?" Bo asked.

"Exactly. The symbols themselves act as sort of summoners—gateways—for a particular magic, or spell, to be channeled through."

"So…" Kenzi said, "they're like… links to a specific kind of spell?"

"Yes."

She took a moment to consider this new idea, a smile beginning to pull at her lips. "That's awesome!"

Trick chuckled. "It does have its perks. But the magic itself is corrupting. Dark. There are a great many spells that can be used to manipulate, control, and end a life."

"Rune magic was banned from use a little under a millennia ago," Tamsin explained. "Well, most of it. There are certain symbols and spells that can be used by a licensed caster."

"Licensed?" Bo asked, the word sticking out to her. "Seriously?"

"…yeah. Why?"

Kenzi laughed. "It all sounds so fantasy-worldish until you mention a license."

"We've got laws, you know. Just like humans," Dyson added.

"Just better," Tamsin teased, flashing Kenzi a taunting smile.

"Oh, shut it, valkyrie. I could totally take you right now."

"Anyways," Trick said, pulling the group back from their small tangent, "this bottle would've been marked with one of the symbols. Though… generally spells can only be activated by runes. There usually has to be some sort of recipe to go along with it… and, of course, a caster."

"Bitch had to get some hairs," Kenzi jumped in. "One from her… two from someone she loves—"

"Half-pint, shut up. You're murdering the story."

"Oh, shut up."

"The hairs?" Trick asked Tamsin.

"One from someone she loves, two from someone she trusts, and three from her."

"And you gathered these, right?"

"Yes. One from Lauren, two from Dyson—" she paused at the sound of a low growl from behind her, Dyson's grip on her shoulders tightening briefly, "and I tugged some from Bo herself."

"Were you told what the spell was meant to do?"

"No. Just that it would 'make her putty in my hands', or some shit like that."

"…and?"

"It didn't work."

"What do you mean it didn't work?" Dyson asked.

"She used it on me," Bo responded, "but there was just this lame puff of smoke, and then… nothing."

"That's… odd," Trick responded.

"You're telling me," Tamsin murmured. "I had to brawl with this bitch." She diverted her gaze as Trick gave her a curious, authoritative look of disapproval.

"Do you know what happened?" Kenzi asked.

Tamsin gave Bo a knowing look. "Who knows? The bottle was meant for something else, I got the formula wrong, or…"

"Or?" Dyson asked.

"Or Bo doesn't trust and love quite the way we think," Trick answered.

The group all turned to face Bo with prying eyes, distracted only when Tamsin spoke next. "I can only think of one way to stop him." There was a fearful edge to her tone – it was painfully evident in the quiver of her voice, the words trembling out.

All eyes were on her in an instant, and suddenly she felt so terribly small – any ounce of strength and resolve she had left beginning to crumble.

"What is it?" Dyson asked.

"I—it… we have to… I want to kill him."

A look of horror crossed Bo's face momentarily, replaced by a gentle, understanding expression that eased Tamsin's worries.

"It's the only way. He's too powerful."

"If he's as powerful as you say he is… how do you plan on killing him?" said Bo calmly. Her voice seemed so gentle to the valkyrie, who felt more and more relaxed in the brunette's presence. She knew that more shit was to come – that they were nowhere near the end of their little fucked up rodeo – but she was somehow okay with that. Whether or not her true and final death came at the end of this journey or not… she was content.

"With you."

"Me?"

"Well, we've got to get to him first."

"I'm confused," Kenzi admitted. "What's the plan?"

Tamsin breathed in deeply, exhaling slowly and calmly. "The plan is that I take Bo in."

"What!?" Kenzi jumped up from her seat, spinning around to join Trick and Bo in facing the blonde. "What the hell kind of shit plan is that?"

"Just listen to me!" Tamsin jumped to her feet, shrugging Dyson's hands off. She stumbled a bit, her body still tired, before she caught her balance with the support of Kenzi's thin shoulders.

"You okay there, slim?" Kenzi asked, holding her hands out to steady the blonde.

"I'm perfect." She snapped, stepping away from the human's grip. "Now, everyone, just hear me out, okay?" She waited a moment, taking the group's careful nodding of heads as a sign to move on. "Alright. So, what does he want?"

"Bo," Dyson answered.

"Exactly. He wants Bo."

"And?"

"And if I bring her to him, we have a clear shot. The higher end people get handed off to him personally. I'd say his daughter, the unaligned succubus, is pretty high end."

"So, what? You just magically appear before him with Bo and kill him? Doesn't he want you dead." Kenzi shifted her weight from her right to her left, looking to Tamsin skeptically.

"Actually, I was thinking that might end up helping us."

"Yeah?" She asked incredulously, sarcasm evident in her tone. "How so? 'Oh, hey, Mr. Bo's father guy, you think I could just kill you?'" She suddenly made a motion to her gut, her fists attached at the ends, thrusting towards her stomach like a knife, followed by a gargling sound and the hanging of her head in mock death.

The group stared at the small human for a few long moments, waiting for her to snap back to reality. Finally she did, bringing her head back up and dropping her hands exasperatedly.

"You done?" Tamsin asked, looking not-at-all pleased.

"Well, that depends… are you done being batshit crazy?" Kenzi responded, suddenly very serious despite her words.

"It's not crazy, kid. I go to an assassin, beat the shit out of him, then get him to send his master a message. He reports back to Bo's loving father that I've caved and that I'm willing to hand Bo over. He sends someone to me to take us to him, that happens, and then we kill him." The blonde clasped her hands together excitedly at her last words.

"See, it's the 'killing him' part that you seem to remain incredibly vague on," Bo says, moving closer to the valkyrie.

"Well… yeah, I haven't figured that part out yet. But I'm working on it."

"I may have something," Trick stated. "It's a rune magic, one meant to subdue the abilities obtained through black magic."

"…and?" Kenzi asked, confusion once again etched on her face.

"Once his powers are bound, he's practically mortal. All it takes is a killing blow."

Tamsin turned to Bo, her eyes searching the brunette's. She could see the hesitation behind her eyes – the fear and uncertainty – but somehow the succubus managed a smile, nodding her heady lightly in approval. "We still have time to think this through. I don't think he'll make a move for you until I'm out of the way."

"So, what?" Bo asked. "If you die, he comes for me?"

Tamsin took a moment to consider this before nodding casually. "Pretty much," she said, adding a smirk that seemed to put Bo at ease. "But don't worry, I don't plan to die just yet."

Bo let her gaze linger on Tamsin for a minute longer, her eyes wandering over the blonde's features – the steely green eyes, determination held behind the glossy colour, the heavy bags beneath, and the faltering smirk plastered on her face – she looked tired. She looked weak. But oddly enough, she looked prepared. She looked beautiful. Striking. _Perfect._

The thought frightened Bo. The word so prominent in her mind, aligning itself with the crisp, vivid image of the valkyrie before her. But somehow, despite the uniqueness of the thought, despite how random it seemed, it felt familiar. It felt _right_. "Wow…" she breathed.

"What?" Tamsin asked, meeting the brunette's gaze.

"Uh—it's nothing. It's just… sounds like a plan." She glanced around at the gathered members of her inner circle – her trusted, her beloved, her family – taking a deep breath as she took in their appearances. It had been a hectic couple of days, and she was tired. And from the looks of it – the dazed expressions on each of their faces – so were they. With a light smile, she addressed all of them, "why don't we work out the kinks tomorrow?"

There was a short silence before Dyson agreed, followed by Trick and Kenzi, the slight nod of their heads a sign of their acceptance of the proposal. "We could all use the rest," Trick acknowledged.

"Meet at the Dal tomorrow?" Dyson asked.

"Sure." At that, everyone said their goodbyes, Trick and Dyson leaving almost immediately afterwards. Kenzi murmured something about needing a drink before following after, leaving Bo and Tamsin alone in the front room, standing awkwardly in silence. After a few long moments, Tamsin spun on her heel, heading towards the door, purposely avoiding the brunette's gaze. She had just made it to the wooden barrier, her hand reaching for the metal handle, when she was stopped – Bo gripped the blonde's arm tightly, tugging her away from the door. She didn't say a word as she dragged Tamsin across the room, up the stairs, through the bathroom, and into her bedroom, dropping the valkyrie onto the bed gently.

"Bo, what are you doing?" Tamsin asked, obvious confusion in her eyes. She was lost. She had spent most of the afternoon working herself up to leaving, to crossing that front room and exiting the house calmly and casually, not expecting any interference. Sure, she wasn't at her best, but she was better. Bo had done well in protecting her. She had no obligation to keep her around any longer. "I'm good now, you don't have to protect me anymore."

The succubus sighed, stepping up to the valkyrie, a serious – almost sad – look on her tired face. She let out a shaky breath as she wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck. "What will happen to you?" She asked in almost a whisper.

"What do you mean? When?" Tamsin breathed, leaning into the brunette's touch.

"When you go to face him. When _we _go to face him. What will happen?"

"I thought we were planning this out tomorrow."

"We are," Bo whispered, dropping her head. "But I want to know now. What about you?"

_What about me?_ Tamsin wondered. She hadn't really taken the time to consider the question. In fact, she had almost dropped herself out of the equation entirely. She knew that, had he the chance, Bo's father would kill her instantly. But… with Bo by her side, she somehow felt good about her own prospects. Bo was her sword, her shield… just like Tamsin hoped to be to her.

"Nothing will happen to me, Bo," Tamsin murmured. She knew that that could have very well been a lie, but what use was there scaring Bo? If Bo could go through with the plan, if she could kill her father, they would be free. Everyone would be free to live their own damn lives without his shadow – the crippling, sickly, dark thought of him haunting their every step. And _Bo_. Bo would no longer fear what she could become. Because he would be gone. He would be out of their lives – out of _her_ life – for good. Forever.

The thought of that made Tamsin smile. She had been beneath him for so long, bound to his every command – his very will. The things that he had made her do – the people she had killed. Finally she was ready to put it all behind her. To put him behind her. _Finally. _

"I don't believe you," Bo sighed, walking around Tamsin and taking a seat beside her on the bed. They were so close, their arms pressed side by side, skin against skin, diverted gazes. "Look at me," Bo commanded softly, sliding her hand into Tamsin's. She turned to face her as the blonde complied, locking eyes with the succubus, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. She was scared. She wouldn't admit it, but she was so utterly and completely terrified of what was about to happen. The moment so uncomfortably up in the air, no saying whether or not they would continue talking, end their conversation, or…

Tamsin wasn't aware of how close they had move their faces until she felt Bo's hot breath against her lips. Her mind went blank and she wasn't quite sure if it was her or Bo who had made the first move, but it happened. The space between them was closed quickly, some might say desperately, as their lips crashed together, hands flying up to grip each other's face – to hold each other closer. And in that moment, for the first time in a _really _long time, Tamsin was certain that everything would work out. She was beyond content. She was ready. She was determined.


	19. Passion

**A/N: So, this chapter's a bit shorter than the last few have been, but it gets the job done. Fun, fun, fun in this chapter. I suppose this one's mostly filler, but what's Lost Girl without its simple fluff-spells? Anywho. I figured it was about time to start going all in with valkubus. So, here's me doing it. Yay Bo/Tamsin!**

**:D Tell me what you think. Forgive the hurried style to it, it all just kind of came out like that. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Passion_. It claimed the moment. It enveloped the encounter in its heated embrace, urging the two women on. Bo had managed to push Tamsin down against the bed, pinning the blonde's shoulders to the mattress as she rammed their lips back together, intertwining their tongues. She could feel the blonde's desire, its ferocity blinding Bo to all but her lips on Tamsin's, her hands probing the valkyrie's bare neck and collar. It was sensational, the feeling of being with Tamsin – touching her, tasting her, kissing her… it sent her mind on some sort of frenzy and suddenly there was nothing more in the world that she wanted to do. For the briefest of moments she considered how strangely comfortable the situation felt, the thought painting a smile on her face.

Moments later, the thoughts pouring through her mind, Bo released Tamsin's lips, sitting up and pulling the valkyrie along with her. She rested her forehead against the blonde's, panting as she smiled back at the woman before her. "Stay," Bo breathed, stealing another quick kiss before she went back to simply gazing into Tamsin's cool green eyes, their heads pressed together.

"Why?" The valkyrie asked, a familiar smirk forming on her lips. "You gonna miss me?"

Bo sighed. "I want you to stay with me," she whispered, ignoring Tamsin's quip. And she meant it. She wanted Tamsin to stay.

"Well, I can hardly leave now."

Grinning, Bo pinned Tamsin back down against the bed, allowing the hunger within her to come forward, the brown of her eyes melting away into a radiant blue. "Goal accomplished, then." She slid her hands under Tamsin's shirt, letting her fingertips glide along the warm skin, feeling the toned muscle beneath. Swiftly, she pushed herself up an slid the shirt off of Tamsin's body, her grin broadening as the blonde pulled her back down, capturing her lips again in a sloppy, but powerful kiss. She allowed herself to continue her journey along the blonde's torso, her hands sliding upwards, her mind and body completely immersed in the experience, all other sounds and feelings forgotten in the overwhelming desire that washed over her.

Somehow it felt as if she'd been waiting for this moment her whole life. As if every moment of her existence – every passionate exchange, every single touch and glance and whisper – had been in preparation for this exact event - for Tamsin. Just then, when her mind had almost completely erased all external thoughts, a heavy crash from behind her ripped Bo's attention away from the valkyrie – forcing her back to reality instantaneously.

"Shit!" She heard Tamsin yell, feeling her body being pulled off of the bed by the blonde. The two women slammed hard against the ground, immediately untangling as they tugged each other to their feet. "Weapons, Bo?" Tamsin asked, taking a protective stance before the succubus as her opponent came into sight. He was strangely thin, almost sickly so, which unsettled Tamsin as his curious grey eyes locked on her frazzled form, trailing down to her heaving chest and her bare stomach. _Great_, she thought. Of course the succubus had to go and tear her shirt off.

"I'm here for the valkyrie," he said. His voice was unnaturally calm, no hint of emotion to be found as he spoke. He was neither commanding nor asking with his words, simply telling - not that that mattered much to Bo.

Tamsin felt a sturdy hand on her shoulder, her body being pulled back as Bo spoke, "Well that's just too fucking bad." The succubus was in front of her before she knew it, her forearm resting on Tamsin's chest as she glared on. "This can go one of two ways," she began, "you can walk away now, which is probably the safer choice… or you can die."

The man, his sickly pale face remaining expressionless, gazed at the two women for a few moments longer, sighing in resignation towards the end of his silent observation period. "I guess it can't be helped then. I had hoped to end her peacefully. _Painlessly_."

"You're not touching her," Bo sneered.

With a slight bow, the man nodded politely. "So be it."

_Crack! _The sound filled the room as the invader's figure began shake and tremble, at first collapsing into itself, bones shifting beneath skin. In a single burst of sickening cracks and tears, his bones popped into place at the ribs, their size easily twice that of their original form. The succubus watched on in horror, her eyes wide and her jaw dropped slightly, as this continued, the figure's shoulders jaggedly extending, the skin that encompassed the bone stretching to accommodate the rapid growth of the skeletal structure beneath. There was a strange growl-like gurgling that emitted from the shifting form as thick, sharp teeth forced their way through his gums, his jaw collapsing into place along with his wrists, fingers, and calves.

Despite the complexity of the process, it took only a matter of seconds for the thin, sickly man that had stood before them to shift into an entirely new opponent, blood red eyes now filled with a fury that struck the two women before him with an undeniable fear. "Oh, shit," Bo breathed, instinctively pushing Tamsin further away. And then she was on the ground, the sound of cracking bone filling her ears. Moments later, in a rather delayed response, searing pain shot through her jaw, numbing her mind to the world around her.

But amidst the distant, echoing noises and blurred images came a single sound – a yell that tore through the fog in Bo's mind, dragging the succubus back to a state of awareness. "Bo!" Tamsin's cry was loud, almost pained, and then hands were on her, pulling her back. "Dammit, Bo! Wake up!" The succubus opened her eyes slowly, just as the hands left her, the blurred world around her giving way to the crisp image of Tamsin charging her attacker.

"No, Tamsin!" The valkyrie's fist made solid contact with the figure's cheek, whipping his head to the side. Bo could see a victory smile curling at the edge of Tamsin's lips, and, as soon as it had appeared, it was gone.

"Shit," Tamsin cursed, taking a few steps away from her opponent as his infuriated eyes settled on her. "Bo. Weapons would be nice right about now!" She ducked beneath an oncoming blow, slamming her fist into the behemoth's gut, letting out a sharp cry at the pain that shot through her arm, trailing up to her shoulder with a loud crack. Bo had grown sick of that sound already. She rose to her feet swiftly, the succubus within her taking hold, eliminating the brown in her eyes with its cool blue gaze, which had now fixed itself upon the man that stood before the valkyrie – _her_ valkyrie.

As his hands reached out to grip Tamsin's throat, the blonde ducked, slipping behind the figure swiftly and smoothly. Once she was out of his field of sight, she allowed the panic to set In, frantically searching the room for an object that could be utilized as some sort of weapon. Seconds passed and all that she could see seemed utterly useless – clothes, more clothes, a brush – and then her eyes fell on the closet on the far wall. Something about it seemed oddly familiar, and immediately she felt her body being pulled in that direction. She slipped past the thundering brute, who seemed to have found interest in the blue eyed succubus before him. Tamsin almost paused to observe the scene, finding a sort of calm-center for herself within Bo's rage-filled cobalt gaze, but was swiftly reminded of the urgency of the situation when the assassin moved forward, his fist smoothly gliding towards Bo.

Tamsin quickly pulled the closet doors aside, revealing a treasure-cove of swords and knives, the arsenal painting a broad smile on her face - somehow the mass of weaponry sitting ten feet from Bo's bed didn't surprise her. "Focus, Tamsin," she commanded herself in an inaudible whisper, reaching into the closet and taking hold of a sword and a separate knife. She spun back around just in time to see Bo's knee make solid contact with her opponent's nuts, triggering a crippling roar-like yell that sent Bo tumbling backwards, the blue in her eyes fading. "Bo!"

Tamsin took the moment to slip back around to the front of the hulking figure, passing Bo the knife with a light smile. "Thanks," she heard the succubus say as she turned her gaze back to their attacker, a smile still pulling at her lips. She couldn't deny that the battle was thrilling – a reminder of past lives, the heat and rage she felt once pouring into her again. She felt young – alive.

"You ready, succubus?" She asked, rolling the handle of the sword in her right hand.

"You bet."

The smile on Tamsin's lips grew into a full on grin as her body pushed forward, her arms instinctively pulling the blade back. She was swift, side stepping a quick punch from the brute and bringing the weapon down, cool steel making contact with hard flesh. And then, rather unexpectedly, a thick hand was on her throat, lifting her from the ground. She hadn't even the chance to pull the sword from his gut, leaving her unarmed as she dangled in the air, her hands clawing at the grip. He sneered at her, the stench of his hot breath invading her nose as she took in the site of his horribly misshapen and fanged teeth, a sickening thick black substance jammed in between each tooth, merging with the saliva that dripped from the roof of his mouth.

"Shit, Tamsin!" Bo pounced on the behemoth figure, slamming the knife deep into his chest. He immediately let out a resounding cry, tossing the valkyrie's body like a rag doll towards the bed, her back making hard contact with one of the bed posts. The moment her body hit the ground, Tamsin was pulled to her feet, the succubus' arms gripping her shoulders tightly. "You good?" She asked, locking eyes with the blonde.

Tamsin rolled her shoulders in a desperate attempt to sooth the ache the bedpost and floor had managed to cause, the impacts no doubt adding to the bruises that lined her upper body, before nodding her head. "I'll survive."

"This shit needs to end," Bo spoke, the succubus within her coming forward again as her eyes shifted to their cool blue. "Now."

"I agree." Ignoring the nagging remnants of pain that coursed through her body, she positioned herself in a fighting stance, raising her fists to the beast, the smirk once again forming on her bloodied lips. She was momentarily taken aback when Bo made the first move, diving forward, knife held above her head. Pushing the slight shock aside, she followed suit, taking the opportunity, when, after dodging a few swift blows, Bo's knife sank into the figure's chest, to take hold of the sword she had left in his gut and rip it out. Without hesitation, she drew the blade back around, ramming it deep into his stomach again as she ducked beneath the swing of his arm. And then again, and again, hitting the same spot repeatedly, the steel blade ripping through his greyed flesh.

With each strike he would let out another roaring scream, lashing his arms out, fists seeking contact with bone, but each swing would meet only cold air as the succubus and the valkyrie strategically maneuvered about his towering frame. And then came the final blow, Tamsin's sword shattering through his spine as Bo's knife tore through the skin of his neck. The cold look he held in his eyes faded, replaced by an empty gaze, the original grey of his eyes returning, though his figure remained in the behemoth form that had, just moments before, stood before them. His body tumbled to the ground with a heavy _thump,_ and then all was silent.


	20. Nothing seemed more certain

**I really only like certain parts of this chapter, but I popped it out. Wasn't really sure how to fill this part, so I improvised. The more solid stuff should be coming. ****_Should. _****Not certain how solid it will actually be. **

**Anywho, valkubus, Kenzi, and a lead in to the upcoming finale. Yay! **

**K. Enjoy. Baiiiii.**

*PS: I didn't exactly comb through this, so forgive any errors and stuff. Especially towards the end. :P*

* * *

**CHAPTER 20**

The two women remained still, weapons discarded in the figure's corpse, gasping for air. "Well," Tamsin finally said, lifting her gaze to meet Bo's, "that was fun."

"Is that what you'd call it?" Bo asked, perking an eyebrow up.

"Yeah. Why? What would you call it?" Tamsin said, blindly stumbling backwards until the soft mattress of the bed met the back of her legs. She let herself fall onto the mattress, lying back with her feet dangling over the edge, reveling in the soft cushiony surface that rested beneath her back. Her eyes fluttered shut at the sensation and she let out a heavy breath, satisfied with the moment.

"Dangerous," the succubus answered.

"Isn't that the same thing?" The valkyrie murmured.

Bo smiled, striding over to the bed and collapsing into a seat beside Tamsin. "You okay?" She asked, her eyes scanning the blonde's partially bare torso, making note of the few fresh bruises. The sight of the familiar purple markings forced a frown onto her face.

"Are you?" Tamsin opened her eyes slowly, rolling her head a bit to cast her gaze upon the succubus, whose frown turned to a look of confusion before her hand moved to her jaw. She winced as her fingers gripped the bone. She had almost forgotten about the injury, sighing in response to its presence as she fell back onto the bed, turning her head to stare into the valkyrie's eyes.

"Better off than you are, blondie." Brown eyes searched cool green ones, catching the hint of vulnerability in them almost immediately. "What is it?" She asked.

"What is what?"

Bo sighed. "You look – I don't know – sad, or… hurt. Are you okay?"

A light smile crept its way up onto Tamsin's lips as she turned her head, her eyes now fixed on the ornate cloth that loosely hung in the space above the bed. "Someone's a tad observant today, I see."

"What's wrong?"

"Just nervous, I guess." There was a heaviness to her tone, of this she was aware. Within her was settled a fear that had haunted her for weeks, perhaps even months. She felt the light touch of fingers gliding across her collar, crossing its surface slowly and gingerly. Bo slid her hand up the blonde's neck, placing a soothing hand on her cheek as she gently pulled the blonde's face to the side, forcing their gazes to meet.

"I trust you," Bo spoke, her voice a whisper. Their faces were so close now, mere inches separating them, and the succubus couldn't help smile at the thought, despite the sadness in her eyes. Tamsin was afraid and that hurt her more than she would've expected. She rose up from her spot, lifting her legs onto the bed and scooting back until she felt the cool wood of the headboard against her. "Come here." She patted the spot beside her for Tamsin, a light, calming smile playing on her lips.

For a moment the valkyrie simply stared up at the brunette, watching her from her laid back position. And then she rose from her spot, wincing as pain shot through her muscles. She circled the bed, using the mattress as support for her own weight. Stopping at the side, she gazed at the succubus, a sigh pulling from her lips. She contemplated leaving then, turning away before the situation could get heated again, but a hand was on her wrist before the thought could truly register. She was lightly pulled onto the bed, Bo's other hand firmly pressed against the blonde's back to keep her from making any unnecessarily painful movements.

Tamsin, with Bo's guiding hands, crawled across the large bed. She settled herself against the succubus' chest, wrapped protectively in her arms. She was still weak, her body aching from head to toe, her lungs and muscles sore from the beating they'd taken in the past few days. The moment her head rested against Bo's chest, her lids began to droop with exhaustion, though she struggled to keep them open. "Don't worry about it, Tamsin."

"I can't help but worry," the valkyrie responded quietly. "He's dangerous, Bo." She pushed herself deeper into Bo's embrace, burying her head into the brunette's chest. She groaned at the movement, realizing then that the adrenaline the fight had provided her had since worn off. Bo had noticed this as well, careful to avoid contact with any bruises, though she found the task to be difficult.

"We'll manage." The succubus looked down at Tamsin, frowning at the lack of eye contact. She dropped her hand to the blonde's face, tracing the length of her cheek bone, moving down to her jaw, and then sliding her fingers beneath her chin, tilting her head up and forcing their gazes to meet. "We _will_ makeit through this."

For a moment – the _briefest _moment – Bo saw in Tamsin's cool green eyes an emotion so great and powerful, its ferocity speaking to her on levels beyond the capability of simple words. In the valkyrie's eyes she could see the terror and the worry and the guilt all wrapped up together, tumbling over one another, clashing in heated collisions, one overtaking another over and over again. And then it was gone, replaced by the hard exterior of a trained valkyrie… by the walls of a broken shell. Tamsin let out a huff, the vulnerability she had just shown vanishing in an instant as she rolled away from Bo, lying on her back. "You're right," she said, her tone suddenly lifted. "We're gonna kick ass." The valkyrie stared up at the ceiling for a short period of time before speaking again. "I have no shirt on," she stated, bringing her hand over to rest on her bare stomach. She winced as the weight of her fingers pressed down onto her ribs.

Bo was in awe. She stared down at the valkyrie with the saddest eyes, her breath heavy at the rawness of what she had just witnessed. And as the realization of its absence hit her, she blinked, her eyes once again seeing the all-too-familiar hint of a smirk pulling at Tamsin's lips. The fortress had returned and it was almost enough to rid her of the light hearted moment. With a collecting inhale, she let a smile appear on her lips. "I know. I kinda like it that way," she said, sitting up. There was a thickness to the air in the few moments of silence that followed, but it melted away when Bo next spoke. "Stay." The word rushed off of her tongue as the thoughts whirred in her mind. "Please?"

The blonde felt compelled to smile, the idea of spending the night with the succubus oddly appealing. She wasn't truly sure why, but she didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay at Bo's side, to fight with her against whatever evil, to… well – just to be with her. _What the hell…_ she thought, feeling the emotion within her. She'd tried so hard to build walls – barriers to combat exterior forces… but one look from the brown eyed succubus and they all crumbled – crumbled beneath the weight of Bo. Tamsin couldn't help bet let out a light laugh at the thought, succumbing to the desire. "Well, I'm already shirtless and in your bed, so…" she sighed.

Bo smiled, lowering herself down onto the bed beside Tamsin. Hesitantly, she rested a hand on the blonde's stomach, grimacing at the wince the action received from the valkyrie. "Sorry," she murmured, beginning to pull away, but before she could, Tamsin's hand was on her wrist, pulling it back.

"Stay," Tamsin murmured, turning her head to look at Bo. The succubus smiled, seeing a small fragment of the emotion she had seen before… but this time it was different – it wasn't sad or broken, just powerful. She felt it wash over her and then her lips were on Tamsin's, this kiss softer than any other they had shared. She raised her hand, resting it on Tamsin's cheek, lightly pulling her face closer.

"What is this?"

Tamsin sighed, shaking her head as she closed her eyes. "I don't know." Bo began to speak, but stopped when moments later the blonde's breathing evened out, her tense muscles easing – relaxing into the mattress. "Goodnight, Tamsin," Bo whispered, leaning forward and pressing her lips to the valkyrie's forehead.

She remained like that for perhaps another hour, simply watching the rise and all of Tamsin's chest, listening to the rhythmic sound of her breathing… memorizing every feature of her gentle face. She pondered the feelings that had been nagging at her for days, the emotion she felt upon seeing Tamsin. Everything was a mess. The woman she loved – Lauren – was under her father's spell, held in his grasp, and here she sat, the warmth of another against her body. What had she done?

The confusion and guilt within her, she closed her eyes and pulled herself closer to Tamsin. And then she slept, the thoughts falling away one by one until all that remained was darkness and the warmth of Tamsin's body pressed against her own.

* * *

The sound of glass shattering against the wooden floor filled the house in an instant, putting an aggressive halt to any of the peacefulness that had been present before. It tore Tamsin and Bo from their sleep, their bodies flying forward reaching for weapons that weren't there in a panicked frenzy. "What the hell!?" Bo yelled, and then her eyes lifted to the door frame and her expression went blank.

Tamsin followed the succubus' gaze, a light smirk pulling on her lips at the sight before her. "Kenzi!" she greeted, her smirk turning into a full on grin. The human's small form stood frozen and wide eyed in the doorway, a mug . Slowly her icy blue eyes raked the room until they rested on Tamsin and Bo… together… in bed.

"Holy shit-u-fuck, what the hell did you guys do last night!?"

Confused, Bo glanced around the room, surveying the large corpse on the ground, the blood splatters on the floor and the crack on her bed post, and then she remembered – Tamsin was beside her.

"I leave for _one_ night and not only do you bang the valkyrie but you destroy your room doing it!?" Kenzi dropped her gaze to the ground again, her eyes widening in terror. "Is that Geraldine!?"

"It was kind of an emergency, Kenz," Bo managed to say, shaking her head to break from her daze.

"A sex-u-mergency?" Kenzi asked, yanking the sword from the brute's gut and raising it to point directly at Tamsin. "A sex-u-mergency with the valkyrie!?"

"There was no sex…u-anything, Kenz. We were… talking when _he_ attacked."

"Yeah? Then where's her shirt?"

Tamsin languidly pointed to the other side of the room, the grin still plastered on her lips. "Check over there." She winced as the back of Bo's hand lightly slapped the side of her arm, pulling away with another wince. "Ouch…" she groaned, reaching a sore hand up to sooth the stinging sensation the slap had left her with. She registered a quick smile and wink before Bo's gaze shifted back to Kenzi.

"Look, we can talk about all of this later, we've got a meet-up at the Dal to get to. Right?"

Kenzi shrugged. "S'why I came in here, Bobo-dacious. Trick's calling for us."

Bo turned a saddened, knowing gaze to Tamsin. "You're ready, right?"

"To take you as my prisoner and hand you over to the deadliest man I know? Hell yeah." She glanced down at her bare, bruised, and battered torso, grimacing. "But I'll need a shirt first."

"That can definitely be arranged," Kenzi replied abruptly, dropping her arm, the tip of the sword slamming into the hardwood floor. With a quick pivot, she twisted around and exited the room, dramatically dragging the sword behind her.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Bo called after. "I know it's not much but this place is home, you know! Stop scratching up my floors."

Kenzi stopped momentarily, expressively lifting the tip of the sword from the hardwood surface, raising it into the air. "Dal. Thirty minutes," she says, disappearing down the stairs. With her exit came peacefulness, allowing Bo the chance to fully register the situation. She smiled with realization, turning her head to cast her gaze upon Tamsin, who had let herself fall back onto the bed, arms outstretched across the large mattress. She still wore her signature smirk, which somehow managed to both kill and make the moment for the succubus, who simply grinned back. "C'mon. Let's get you that shirt," she said after a few long seconds of simply staring. She moved to slide off of the bed, pausing as the sight of Tamsin slowly sitting up caught her eye. She turned back, a frown now firmly plastered on her face.

"What is it?" Tamsin asked, wrapping an arm around her sore stomach, forcing back a wince.

"You sure you'll be able to… perform today? You seem a bit—"

"I'll be fine, Bo," the valkyrie interrupted, sliding off the bed in one swift movement, landing on her feet with a slight sway. She caught herself on the side of the bed, taking a steadying breath before turning back to face the succubus. "If I show up looking untouched, he'll see right through me."

"I just worry—"

"Don't worry succulette. We're good, 'kay?"

"Okay," Bo sighed, jumping to her feet and crossing the room over to her closet. She threw the wooden doors open and reached inside, pulling out a somewhat large black t-shirt. "Will this do?"

* * *

The sound of bickering filled the quiet space of the Dal, stirring the small bunch that sat within from their gloomy thoughts. Kenzi couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips as she nudged Dyson lightly to wake him from his own daze.

"I can't believe you fucking forgot my truck!" Came Tamsin's clearly distressed voice. She trailed into the room behind Bo, a hint of upset evident on her features behind the anger, which took a dominant stance as she spoke. "That's my truck! It's my home—"

Bo threw her hands up into the air with exasperation. "Oh, I'm _so_ sorry that I forgot your truck in the midst of saving your ass. Forgive me—"

"I will not! Anything could have happened to it, bitch!"

"It's been a pretty damn hectic past few days, _Tamsin_!" Bo responded, continuing with a low mumble, "no thanks to you."

"I heard that, and if you—"

"Ladies, ladies!" Bo and Tamsin ceased their argumentive conversing, lifting their frustrated gazes to Trick, who stood with a stern expression behind the bar. "I do believe we have more important matters to attend to."

Tamsin muttered a few quiet curses beneath her breath, casting a glaring glance at Bo, who responded by childishly sticking her tongue out as a sign of victory. "Bitch…" Tamsin breathed.

"Now," Trick said, glancing between Bo and Tamsin, "if you're quite finished… Tamsin, how does this work?"

"Well, I have to get their attention first," the blonde replied, her expression going hard instantly.

Bo snapped her eyes up. "Wait, what? Whose attention?"

"You know who, Bo. The assassins are his arms and legs, his connections to this world—"

"How did you contact him before?"

"I didn't. He'd send someone to come meet me."

"Send who?"

"The man that manages all of your father's activities. I never got a name, but I know well what he looks like." Tamsin frowned a bit at the thought of him. She'd made a grand attempt to avoid him during most of her jobs for The Wanderer, finding smaller connections to use in delivering the targets to him instead. There was no avoiding him this time, though. She couldn't help but feel a bit afraid, but pushed the emotion aside, letting the sternness return to her eyes. "I figure he's the guy pulling the strings on all of these coordinated attacks, and the best way to get to him is to find us an assassin." Tamsin scanned the expressions of each person in the room, frowning at the response she'd gathered. "It's all we've got, guys. Our other option is to… well, let them kill me. They'll take Bo right to him afterwards."

Bo moved as if she wanted to say something, an angered look in her eyes, but the opportunity was lost when Dyson spoke up, clearing the silence from the room with his sturdy, deep voice. "I still don't get why they had to get you out of the way first…" he said, his baritone voice filling the entirety of the open room. Bo's gaze maintained its angered and frustrated glare as her eyes bored into the side of Tamsin's head.

"Because they know that she'd never let them take me… not while she's alive," Bo answered. Somehow her words managed to still the rest of the group as Tamsin turned her gaze to meet Bo's.

"Yeah… what she said," the valkyrie murmured moments later – slowly – her attention still fixed on the succubus. It was then that Bo could see through the wall Tamsin had built back up, watching it slowly crumble beneath the weight of her stare. She couldn't quite tell if Tamsin was sad or happy but the emotion was there and that was all that really seemed to matter in the moment.

"Let's do this, then," Bo said, a light smirk on her lips as confidence swelled within her. She wasn't quite sure what it was about the glint in Tamsin's eye, but it ignited something inside of her, and suddenly nothing seemed more certain than their success. Nothing seemed more fitting than His death.


End file.
